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From Black Voices

Victoria Jackson, former “Saturday Night Live” comedian turned ultra-conservative gadfly, delivered a rant on Thursday in which she targeted “Black History Month” and suggested that whites ought to create their own annual celebration.

“Now, that the white race is becoming a minority in America, perhaps we need to make … say, January, White History month,” she wrote on her website, according to the political blog Wonkette.

Read at BlackVoices.com.

From Alternet.org

A tame but amusing Obama ad featuring “Girls” star Lena Dunham offering some mildly innuendo-laden commentary about making one’s “first time” voting memorable and being sure it’s with the right man has unsurprisingly caused the moral scolds on the Right Wing to go apoplectic because… Sex!

At the New Civil Rights movement , bloggers grabbed a screencap of conservatives on Twitter immediately crying out in shock and horror, calling it the “height of vulgarity.” Seriously. Eric Erickson even cited the ad as evidence that we live in a “fallen and depraved world destined for the fire.”

Okay then.

But the Right Wing is also upset because… Vladimir Putin! Yes, you see an ad for Putin once used a similar joke . Maybe this revelation is an incredibly damning moment for the Obama campaign, or actually not. Perhaps the similarity in ads arises because, Dunham’s charming delivery aside, the “first time” joke is an incredibly obvious joke to make–at least for those of us who are “destined for the fire” anyway.

Watch below:

The dueling reactions over the Dunham ad are indicative of a deeper cultural divide between the two sets of voters and their representatives in the media. Obama appeals to young, culturally relevant artists with tattoos and senses of humor.

His opponents, meanwhile, can’t see straight when presented with sexual suggestiveness of any kind whatsoever. At least this offers us reason to be heartened for the future.

Source: Fashionbombdaily.com

Revisiting Essence magazine’s shift of their white managing editor into a new role after his right-wing views were exposed on Facebook, I agree with readers here who feel the move was an excuse to get Michael Bullerdick out of the position. The swiftness with which the decision was made and the comparably minute articles he’d posted compared to the public blunders of other media personalities who’ve been allowed to keep their jobs suggests the magazine may have been waiting for an opportunity to remove the white editor in a way that wouldn’t make it seem as though it was simply taking it’s reader’s racial concerns to heart when he was hired in the first place, but perhaps they should have.

It obviously doesn’t take a particular ethnicity to be able to tell when someone’s syntax is wrong or their grammar is off, but when we’re talking about a magazine who’s readers are 99.9% black women it would certainly make sense that someone who would read the content themselves would have a better eye for checking for things like tone, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with saying that. I can’t tell you how many editorial job descriptions I’ve come across for opportunities with a publication or non-profit that explicitly states the applicant must have significant knowledge of the Jewish culture or Hebrew community in order to even be considered. There’s nothing wrong with us doing the same, although for some reason we seem to have this attitude that we’re not being diverse enough if we express that sentiment despite the fact that we aren’t the ones who need to knock down barriers for other people, we need them broken down for us. I know Essence claims that Michael was only involved in production but he listed his responsibilities on LinkedIn as “Edit stories for tone and style,” so it appears one of the parties was confused about what his true role was. Now, that inconsistency is neither here nor there but I do find it interesting that this issue has sort of been swept under the rug with no response from the publication to its readers about how this was overlooked—and who might even replace him. I don’t think anyone who saw Michael’s wall was personally offended, but I do think it proves readers had genuine concern when they protested his hiring, much like the hiring of Ellianna Placas, a white woman, as the fashion director, a year and a half ago. Opportunities being what they are for black people, you would think the one place someone in fashion or publishing could get a high-ranking job if they so choose would be Essence, but the difference between the publication and some of the Jewish ones I’ve come across is those communities owned their content, and last time I checked Time Warner was hardly led by an African American.

That being said and this situation considered, I don’t foresee Essence listening from here on out. The former editor, Angela Burt-Murray, defended Ellianna’s hiring, saying she hand-picked her herself, and Constance C.R. White pretty much did the same with Michael. Whether they truly didn’t see an issue with the hirings or if they were coaxed into it by corporate politics and the powers that be, we’ll likely never know but either way it’s cause for concern. I know the go-to response around anything Essence-related is “I don’t care, I don’t read the magazine anymore anyway,” but we should care and so should they. It’s candid discussions like this that are essentially a free focus group for the magazine and its corporate leadership to see in plain color what their (previous and potential) readers want and how to make it happen. I’m curious how much further readership has to drop for them to get the point. On one hand the issues plaguing the magazine aren’t unique. The interests of society have become increasingly superficial and if you want to thrive and be profitable you have to cater to that somewhat, but being the innovator that it was when it first entered the market many have been hoping the magazine would find a happy medium without selling out to rathetness or racial pressures but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Hiring a black person doesn’t guarantee that all of their ideologies will be in line with the publication and all black women for that matter but it does significantly increase the odds that the person put in the position will not only understand the issues plaguing black women but also have their best interest at heart with how their addressed and represented in the magazine and no one should want any less. There’s no better way to prove you really are the voice of black women than to have black women be the voice behind the content.

Do you think Essence will finally listen to its readers concerns over its hiring practices as a result of this incident?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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Continuing the social media + career don’t mix trend, Essence has parted ways with its white male managing editor after right-wing news posted on his Facebook wall was brought to the attention of the magazine’s editor.

Michael Bullerdick’s position with the magazine has been controversial from the beginning. When he was hired last July, many expressed their disapproval of a white man working on a magazine for black women. Despite the title of managing editor and describing his duties for the magazine on LinkedIn as lists “Edit stories for tone and style,” Essence Editor-in-Chief Constance C.R. White stated when he was hired, “Michael is responsible for production and operational workflow. He has no involvement in editorial content.”

Whether that’s true or not, the content on Michael’s Facebook page is what led to his demise after a Journal-isms reader sent in screen shots of his wall, writing in an email:

“Essence readers would be shocked to find that Bullerdick, who under the prodding of Time Inc became the first white male editor at the magazine last year, openly espouses extremist Right-wing views that run counter to what Essence has historically stood for.”

The views referenced include an April 10 posting headlined, “No Voter Fraud, Mr. Attorney General?” with a video by conservative activist James O’Keefe. The same day, Bullerdick also posted a photo illustration of Al Sharpton titled, “MSNBC Race Pimp.” He also regularly recommends material from the conservative magazine Human Events and the right-wing website townhall.com. One post included “the Frequent Bomber Program,” an article about 1960s anti-war radical Bill Ayers on which Bullerdick wrote, “Obama’s mentor and friend.”

When this news first broke on Journal-isms Friday, White issued this statement, saying:

“As editor-in-chief, I’m responsible for all editorial content for Essence. I hired Michael to manage the production schedule of Essence. As head of production, he does not attend editorial idea meetings, nor does he get involved in the editorial direction of the magazine.”

By the end of the day, a spokeswoman said:

“By mutual agreement, Michael has accepted a position in another division.”

When Essence was questioned about their social media policy, the spokeswoman said employees should follow the current Standards of Business Conduct, which is distributed to everyone at the company. She also said Dan Okrent, who leads Editorial Standards and Practices for Time Inc., has been working with the magazine’s top Editors to develop a specific social media policy, which will be released when it’s completed.

There’s no word on what Bullerdick’s new role is within the company, but this shift certainly demonstrates the fine line between an employee being able to express personal views that are inconsistent with those of its employer on social media.

Do you think this move is fair?

Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.

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In an interview with Joy Behar, actor, singer and Civil Rights activist, Harry Belafonte, sat down to discuss his new book, “My Song”. During the interview Behar also mentioned Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain. After Mr. Belafonte stopped pretending like he didn’t know who Cain was, he called him a bad apple among other things. Take a look at a clip of the interview, which will air in its entirety Friday on CNN.

Cain has been made aware of what Belafonte had to say and he responded in writing to The Hill newspaper.

“As far as Harry Belafonte’s comment, look, I left the Democratic plantation a long time ago. And all that they try to do when someone like me — and I’m not the only black person out there that shares these conservative views – the only tactic that they have to try and intimidate me and shut me up is to call me names, and this sort of thing. It just simply won’t work.”

What do you think is Belafonte right about Mr. Cain?

It is not unusual to log onto the internet and see a news story, blog post or some other update about something ridiculous that Glenn Beck has said.

Beck says that Michelle Obama is behind the new bi-racial Superman. Everyone gets mad.  Glenn Beck says something about President Obama. Everyone is outraged.  Glenn Beck says that Hurricane Irene was a blessing. Now everyone wants to boycott and protest. I feel like Jane Brady from the Brady Bunch but instead of Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, it’s Beck, Beck, Beck.  If I had a magic wand, which could magically erase someone from the face of the planet, it would be him.  Because that’s how sick I am of hearing or reading about something controversial he has said to get under people’s skin.

But since I don’t have a magic wand, I do the next best thing and that is ignore him.  Well, at least I do my best. I can honestly say that I had never tuned in to an episode of the Glenn Beck Show when it was on Fox News. I can’t tell you where his syndicated radio show is located on my radio dial.  And I have certainly never read any of his books. Yet somehow I keep stumbling, mostly via news blogs and social networking sites, upon reports of Beck accusing black folks of reverse racism, twisting the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and crying like a baby. That’s what really makes me angry.

Like today comes the story of Beck’s latest gaffe in which he wondered out loud on his radio show, why African Americans don’t like being called  ”colored” considering that they do embrace the term in places like South Africa. He goes on to say:

“African American” was not made to do anything except try to create a super man. Oh don’t you dare feel bad about yourself! You’re African American!” No. You’re an American. Instead of building the country up and saying, “Lookit. We all have the right, here in this country… Look at what happened with Martin Luther King. That makes you an American. ‘Judge not by the color of your skin.”

He managed to fit 2 out of the 3 gaffes he is best known for into one brainless rant.  Not bad. In some ways, I can see why folks might find him endearing. He is a religious man and speaks with this folksy common man demure, which makes his questions and theories seems genuine.  Likewise he appeals to a certain angry demographic, particularly white males in middle America, who often fear being labeled ‘racist’, ‘intolerant’, and ‘hateful’ whenever they say something racist, intolerant and hateful.

But it’s more than that.  Beck’s shows tend to fuel and feed off of the paranoia that exist in the underbelly of society. Whether you agree with them or not, there is a huge market for people, who believe in the Bilderberg group, who have a fear of the New World Order and think that the United States government is working with the Rothschild family.  Many of these self-proclaimed Truthers have found a home with Beck, who gives as much weight to topics such as sterilization through drinking water, population control through FEMA camps and forced abortions through Obamacare as any mainstream news outlet.

What is most interesting about Beck is how he has seemed to swagger jack from Alex Jones, a self-proclaimed paleo conservative talk show host, whose Inside the Bohemian Grove documentary and support of the 9/11 truth movement help to mainstream, at least through the Internet, the conspiracy theorist movement.  But unlike Jones, who views everything and everyone in Washington with skepticism, Beck only seems to focus his “fears of a NWO” on only liberals and the Democratic Party. His targets are usually global-warming-believing scientists, grassroot community organizers and left-leaning intellectuals.  Those folks he calls closet socialists and communists, whose goals are to dismantle free-market capitalism and destroy the U.S. Constitution through government entitlements and illegal immigration.

And that’s what annoys me most about Beck. He has taken the fun – and the truth for those who really believe – out of conspiracy theories. By presenting a polarized stance to issues of the government and the economy, Beck mocks the very audience in which he is trying to appeal to.  Beck is like a half-truther – he views Blacks, the gay community, immigrants and socialist Democrats as the only source of evil, while completely ignoring the evil, which comes out of his own following. And if the man can’t even be true to his own said agenda, which is really about ratings, why should the rest of us take anything he says seriously?

Charing Ball is the author of the blog People, Places & Things.

Comedian Sarah Silverman has gotten into it with Fox News over the conservative network’s “24-hour-a-day racism engine.”

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