Is "Zane" Really a Friend to Black Women ?

*Sigh* I have tried to ignore this "story" about this idiotic book every since it popped-up in my Google news alert days ago. However, the "story" continues. I do not want to plug this stupid book...at all. I'm just going to point out that Zane, the author of erotic books aimed at Black women, decided to endorse this mess although she denies "endorsing" it. Whatever.

I don't like Zane books..sorry just not a fan of them. But obviously by the success of the Zane series, a lot of women do read them. What I find distasteful is that Zane put her name on this book (presented by Zane) and thus, could lead her fans to buy it; a book that basically denigrates Black women all under the guise of finding a "good" Black man. Ugh.

Here is just a little gem from this masterpiece so you know what we're working with here:

Moore's slim treatise purports to explain how women should go about sex, relationships and marriage -- according to men. Here is his mission as a self-described reeducator: "I want to express my anger and frustration as a man with the women I feel are miseducated, misinformed, and ill-prepared about their responsibilities in getting and maintaining a relationship with a man of quality," he writes in the introduction. Moore, of course, considers himself just such a man. Read his book, ladies, and you can snag a catch just like him. Your responsibilities include cooking, staying skinny, wearing sexy things around the house and doing whatever your man tells you to do (because, Moore writes, "Here's a little secret, ladies: men never really ask for anything. They command. . . . And believe me, what you won't do, ten broads around the corner will.")

I think spike the cat over at feministing.com has the perfect response :

Every decade or so a book like this comes out directed at women. And someone of course has to put out something directed at black folks, 'cause you know, our shit is even more fucked up.

What you are witnessing is the dying grasp of male privilege.

And somehow an idea got started in the black community that women are supposed to compensate for the failures and mistreatment of black men. Yup, everything is our fault.

But I wonder if he addresses the soaring HIV rates in young black women, which according to the CDC is attributed primarily to heterosexual contact with black men? Sky high out-of-wedlock birth rates and absent fathers continues to be the norm, yet this guy decides to write a book about cleaning the house in lingerie?

Fucking.Incredible.

Oh and PS assholes, a recent study confirms what has been long suspected: that a woman's BMI actually has NO correlation with the number of partners she reports having. On the other hand, men with higher BMIs report fewer partners. Imagine that.
Posted by spike the cat | August 28, 2008 2:17 PM

Source

Don't Forget to Watch "The Closer" Tonight: NO...Not the TV show Michelle !

Michelle Obama will be speaking at the opening night of the Democratic convention and the anticipation is high. Please go here to read a wonderful article on Michelle; I think it's one of the best I've read about her so far.

A few choice excerpts I loved :

She is also a bold and beautiful Glamazon, rather than the wife next door like Laura Bush, which can be intimidating. She is at ease on the cover of high-fashion glossies and tabloid magazines. She will wear clothes from Gap one day and Alexander McQueen the next; the first time I met her, at a black-tie dinner in Washington, she was wearing a daring champagne silk bustier and had the look-at-me quality of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Behind the scenes, she made sure Obama left nothing to chance. It was Michelle who often called party VIPs and congressmen, assuring them they had a game plan for winning and always remembering to write thank-you notes afterwards.

Frasier Robinson, her father, was diagnosed at 30 with MS but carried on working with the aid of two walking sticks in increasing pain for 25 years. “He carried out his responsibilities to his family without a trace of self-pity, giving himself an extra hour every morning to get to work, struggling with every physical act from driving a car to buttoning his shirt, smiling and joking as he laboured . . . across a field to watch his son play, or across the living room to give his daughter a kiss,” Obama wrote admiringly in his memoir, The Audacity of Hope.

Obama, the son of a feckless father with eight children by four mothers, was partly drawn to Michelle because of her steady family background. When they met, she was his senior at a law firm in Chicago and was reluctant to date the handsome newcomer. The secretaries insisted he was cute, but “I figured they were just impressed with any black man in a suit”, she said.

In the end she was the one who closed the deal on their marriage. Obama didn’t feel the need to get hitched – “He was like, marriage, it doesn’t mean anything; it’s really how you feel,” she said – but she told him she was not the kind of girl to hang around. “You know that is just not who I am,” she said firmly.

Tales From the Cryptkeeper : The "Nothing But a BM Edition"

It was a tough day at the office, so THANK YOU Selena for this comedy gold. I don't think the author of this mess intended to provide me with lots of laughter and entertainment this afternoon, but he did...LOL.

VIDEOS NSFW (ADULT LANGUAGE)

Ladies do NOT get upset at anything this individual says. Obviously someone is protesting a bit too much in this video. Why else would someone spend the time to record and "broadcast" a message about women he cares nothing about ?

Can you spot the old faithful "keys" to keeping us in our crypts ?
1. "Good" Black women date/mate with Black men only.
2. Throw in a colorist comment about being too "black."
3. *Gasp* dare to read a book or speak correct English = "sellout."
4. Suggest that "all" Black women are "ghetto."
5. Try to down-play White men as "push-overs."
6. Suggest that Black women who want non-Black men are "gold-diggers."

I'm sure there are more, but I was laughing too hard to catch them all. The above video should really be entitled "Black Men Trying to Protect Their Own Interests." The truly sad thing about the video is that this guy was NOT helping Black men at all...LOL. He was NOT the one to try and carry the "nothing but a BM flag." I do thank him though for letting us know that Black Women ARE talking about dating/marrying non-Black Men. (hint....him ease-dropping on Black Women at the gym...HaaaHaaaa...shouldn't he be counting his reps or something..LOL)

My response to his video is perhaps *some* Black women want a little bit of THIS:



Calling all my "Sell out Black Women"....can I get an Amen...LOL.

Everybody's Got Their Something !

I'm so happy to see Aretha looking healthier. The Queen is rocking her shorts; check the cute legs, ankles and fly pedicure.

I'm sure we won't see this particular pic of Aretha on *some* of the "Black" entertainment sites as it seems they only like to show the pictures of  The Queen during her moments of struggle and not triumph.  SMH  







Picture jacked from Jezebel.

Before "Something New" there was "Love Song"

I loved, loved, loved this movie. *sigh* Monica was the biz.

I'm Loving You Anyway.....I Don't Care What "They" Say

Fear & Intimidation 101 : Can You Find The Subtle Messages ?

I don't usually discuss Black men on this blog as it's about Black women. However, I am going to post an email from a Black man that crossed my desk in response to an IR mixer.

I received this message about the new Interracial ...... group
for black women and non-black men. As a black man... I'm
clearly not the target audience for this one (lol).

But, a couple of thoughts struck me on this. If you do a
public meetup with this group, they will probably stand out
quite a bit, perhaps making people feel a little awkward. If
you go to a bar, and their are 25 black women and 25 (mostly)
white men, people not a part of the meetup will probably be
staring and wondering what the heck is going on (lol). Most
interracial dating you see is the opposite, with black men and
white women. So to see such a large interracial gathering, the
complete opposite of what you might typically see, may stand
out like a sore thumb.

My suggestion? Make it an interracial dating meetup, period.
If there were 25 black women, 25 (mostly) white men... and 25
black men and 25 (mostly) white women, it would not really
catch anyone's attention. It would be a comfortable, almost
normal setting. And if you are attracting the sort of warm,
friendly, genuine professionals I suspect you would seek, there
would be some mingling of people across all races (e.g. black
men talking to black women, and white men talking to white
women). But, everyone there would know why they really were
there, and the meetup would still accomplish it's function.

What do you think?

Let me just say that this is but one of the emails that have crossed my desk.  My first response was to just delete it and ignore it.  However, I think it's important (at least to me) to "document" the evidence of what Black women have to deal with when they seek to meet/date *other* men.  I am constantly annoyed by the folks who like to pretend that there are no barriers, even "subtle" ones, to keep Black women in their "place."  Some who read this email may not "see" the clear underlying intent, but it was not lost on me.

Serena Williams : Voted One of the Sexiest Athletes in the World

Men’s Fitness names Serena as one of the sexiest female athletes in the world. I would like to say : Get it Serena and the haters can fall back...LOL.

Thanks Selena for the heads up !

Source

The "New Face" of BET Women ?

It seems BET allegedly has decided that Black women don't sell. Uhmm...does this include the Black girls shaking-it-up on the regular ?

There’s a new report out that isn’t the best for the struggling BET network. Could the station that is supposed to cater to the black community be slowly veering away from black women as hosts in order to remain completive with other networks?

A new report has emerged that alleges that the network that’s brought us such landmark shows featuring all black hosts like "Video Soul" and "Caribbean Rhythms" is starting to focus non black talent because apparently black women aren’t viewed as marketable. Allegedly: Black executives at the network don't think an African-American woman can sell a show and non-black women are laughing and joking that they have a better opportunity for employment at the network than African-American women.

This unconfirmed yet shocking report doesn’t seem SOHH far fetched if you look at all of BET’s current female hosts. Sharon Carpenter, who is half Indian and half White, has been given a show to host (BET News). Rocsi, the co-host of 106 and Park is Dominican American and Julissa, the host of the now defunct "College Center" was Puerto Rican. At the present time there is no all black female currently hosting any BET program.

If this information comes out to be true it will irreversibly damage the already struggling network and could be the start of a bunch of lawsuits.

Story developing…..  Source

While I could care less about BET, I don't like the *message* this trend could potentially send to other networks. 

Mike and Denise: An Interracial Love Story

Here is an excerpt from an amazing article I ran across :

They're not big on radio or television talk show episodes that center on interracial love affairs, both believing that "each relationship is in and of itself." Yet one cannot help but learn the story of Associated Content writer Mike Thompson, 52 and his wife, Denise, 57 and not wonder how the racial divide that still exists in neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country has impacted their marriage of 26 years. An interracial couple living in the still very segregated city of Saginaw, Michigan, they have managed to keep love's flames burning brighter and longer than many couples who are of the same racial and ethnic background.

In his December 2007 article entitled, "The Songs of My Very Best Christmas," Mike shared the nostalgic story of his first Christmas with his then fiancée, Denise Culpepper, and his soon-to-be in-laws. The occasion was a memorable one, filled with soulful music, a delectable feast and a warm exchange of love and fellowship that would resonate with Mike for years to come. Deeply touched by this story, I contacted Mike and Denise and asked if they would be willing to let me interview them. Fortunately, they consented.

Please go here to read the rest of this article. 

Hollywood Minute

First up is "Wonderful World" with Matthew Broderick and Sanaa Lathan.

Could fish really fall from the sky? Ben Singer (Broderick), the world’s most negative man, refuses to believe even the tiniest miracle is possible. He spends all his time fighting the corporate super organism, otherwise known as "The Man.” That fight becomes more personal when visions of "The Man” start to visit him in his small one bedroom apartment. When his roommate, Ibou, falls ill, Ben is forced to host his Senegalese sister, Khadi (Lathan). What starts as an awkward living arrangement soon turns into something more, and Ben's usual self-destructive nature gives way as he begins to find inspiration in the most unlikely of places.  Source

My take: No comment...LOL.  The movie is in post-production and no release date has yet been set.

Second Up....a new spin on "Lakeview Terrace" that is not giving me warm fuzzies.

When the movie opens, the Mattsons are moving into a cul-de-sac of pleasant new homes in a development on the outskirts of Los Angeles. (The movie's title refers to the San Fernando Valley neighborhood where Rodney King was beaten by police in 1991, but the production was filmed in Walnut, 25 miles east of downtown.)

From the start, Turner, a 20-year LAPD veteran, doesn't like what he sees next door. Chris Mattson secretly smokes and leaves butts all over. But it's more what the Mattsons represent, rather than what they do, that makes Turner's blood boil. "It's a brave new world," Turner says to Chris at one point.

A single dad, Turner struggles to correct his kids' grammar and clothing choices -- his son has to take off a Kobe Bryant jersey because, in Turner's mind, Bryant's no longer on the right side of the law. As his roughhouse law enforcement techniques suggest, he's old school -- to a fault.

As a neighbor, Turner is vigilant to a disquieting degree. He has mounted retina-burning, motion-activated floodlights on his home's exterior walls and patrols the local streets with a gun tucked into his shorts. His daughter complains, "He has enough rules for two people."

For a while, though, he's not entirely unlikable; he's a law-and-order man facing a chaotic landscape. He's hardly an overt racist in the George Wallace mold; it's more that he prefers life as it was, rather than what it has become.

Having worked his way out of South-Central to the suburbs, Turner resents that his neighbors appear to be privileged rich kids handed a standard of living they didn't necessarily earn.

"I think a lot of people will watch this movie and agree with his point of view and see where he's coming from," Jackson said. When a secret is revealed late in the film about how Turner became a single dad, it becomes more understandable why Turner feels so hostile about mixed-race couples.

Executive producer Joe Pichirallo, who brought LaBute and playwright Howard Korder into the movie, explained: "The challenge was always to figure out how to portray him in a way that while you could question his methodology, you would not see him as all bad -- that he had legitimate grievances with his neighbors."

When his two children witness the Mattsons' having sex in their pool, Turner opens the hostilities. "That's not the sort of thing you'd ever want your kids to see," Jackson said.  Source

Uhmmmm....so does this mean that Jackson's racist cop character is supposed to elicit sympathy in the viewer and we are to "understand" why he hates his "bad" neighbors ?  I guess we'll see on September 19.

Liar, Liar

To the individual trying to spray your poison here....I'm NOT THE ONE. What you do under the cloak of darkness WILL SEE THE LIGHT.

I will not address these lies further.  (*I love Evia's poison phrase..it is so accurate.)

LAURELTON QUEENS Miss PINKY is DISSIN' YOU BIG TIME
Reply to: pers-784483105@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-08-05, 5:52PM EDT


On Evia's blog she said she saw your blog and it's a plain piece of you know what! She then said that to take a look at her blog so once again, a sistah has to show a black man how it's done. And don't get offended at the hot white guy she posted there for all to see in disrespect of black males such as yourself.

http://blackgirlsrockit.blogspot.com/

Jane


PostingID: 784483105

Naomi Campbell : Bow Down..LOL

Say whatever you like about Naomi Campbell's hairline, attitude or behavior; but, she's still walking the runways at 38 and pulling the hottest, wealthiest men.

As someone commented on Jezebel, "Only Naomi would find a really hot rich man!!!."

May I also add that her billionaire-boo doesn't look like he cares one iota about her weave or hairline...LOL. Hhhhmm...he seems way more interested in those legs. Today's lesson: work with what you got !   (Image via Jezebel.com)