Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Good, the Bad, and the Curious (Links)

Here's what I've been reading that's made me smile, sigh loudly/scream at my computer, and think. Please add anything you've been reading (or maybe something you've written lately) in the comments if you're so inclined.

The Good


This Offbeat Mama post looks at ways to talk about health, food, and fitness with your children without turning it into an obsession with weight.

The Bad


It's not that I didn't sigh or scream at my computer this week, but it wasn't over anything that I felt particularly inclined to share, so you get a reprieve from the bad this week.

The Curious


"What Race is Your Dog?" An interesting look at how we talk about "breeds" of dogs and "races" of people.

Sometimes people start out wanting to say “I saw this black man” then something clicks in them that makes this feel awkward–perhaps looking at my brown skin. They pause, the letter “b” hangs on their lips, as they search their minds like a Jeopardy category titled Ways to describe black people that start with b. If they are afraid of black people they might say, “I saw this big black man.” Yikes. If they are trying to show how liberal and accepting they are of black people then it comes out, “I saw this beautiful black man.” Smile. Whew, that was a close one.
Imagine someone saying this, “I saw the most–um, uh–big–I mean, beautiful black dog the other day.” This clearly indicates that they are not a fan of black dogs and that this one must be an exception. It’s kind of like when people say, “I met the nicest Pit Bull.”
"People on the Internet Can be Hella Racist"- Issa Rae writes about the incredibly racist backlash she got after winning a Shorty award for Best Web Show. While the backlash is clearly in "The Bad" category, I put this in "The Curious" because the coverage of the racist Tweets opened the doors for more people to learn about Rae's show The Misadventures of an Awkward Black Girl, which you should go check out. 


"Move Over, Antoine Dodson! The Ironically Racist Internet Presents Sweet Brown" Tami Winfrey Harris writes to lament the othering of people in news clips who fit into stereotypes and then get passed around the internet like trading cards:
When bad things happen to poor, country, uneducated, stereotypically black people, is it not still a tragedy? Or just funny? Because what the folks who forward this video to you probably won’t add is that the fire at Brown’s apartment complex burned five units and left 44 without electricity. The Red Cross has set up a shelter for residents. No laughing matter at all.

"Mothering By Default"- Lauren at Mama Nervosa takes a look at the SAHMing, the domestic, the maternal, and how we place value on the work that women do in a very real, personal way.

Nestle has announced that it will be removing all artificial ingredients from its candy and replacing them with alternatives "from natural sources such as carrot, hibiscus, radish, safflower and lemon." The problem? They're only making this move for their UK products. Concerned U.S. patrons have been told there are no plans to make such changes here in the States. 

1 comment:

  1. Wow, thank you for the link! And also for commenting on Sweet Brown, who's been making the rounds on my facebook feed. Yeesh.

    ReplyDelete