Source: Twitter / Twitter Ever since taking office three and a half years ago, Donald Trump’ has implemented his vision of his “Amerikkka” which has caused our society to devolve into a racial culture war where his MAGA supporters feel they can run for their guns with impunity when dealing with Black and Brown people in their lives. The latest incident came yesterday in Detroit Michigan when a Black woman confronted a white woman for bumping her 15-year-old daughter as they entered a Chipotle’s only to have a gun pointed at her and her child. The Detroit News is reporting that on Wednesday (July 1), a shouting match between Takelia Hill and Jillian Wuestenberg ensued after Wuestenberg refused to apologize for the incident and ultimately decided to pull a firearm on the mother and daug...
“The Star-Spangled Banner” doesn’t seem that racist, as long as you skip the later verses and ignore the white supremacist who wrote it. Taking those aspects into account, however, some activists are calling for America to find a new national anthem, and one popular proposal has put forth John Lennon’s “Imagine”. “But wait,” you may be saying. “I’ve sung ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ for years, and I’m not racist. Besides, those patriotic high notes really make my rocket glare.” And it’s true, the one verse that we trot out at sporting events is merely unsettlingly violent, rather than outwardly prejudiced. If that’s the only part of Francis Scott Key’s 1814 poem that you’re familiar with, then the history behind the third verse will be a bit of a shocker. In the offending passage, Francis Sc...
Two more beloved NBC comedies — The Office and Community — are either removing or altering episodes due to blackface. For The Office, the scene in question appears in the Season 9 episode, “Dwight Christmas”, which originally aired on December 6th, 2012. The moment occurs as Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute is portraying the German Christmas folklore character Belsnickel. It’s revealed that Belsnickel is often accompanied by Zwarte Piet, or Black Peter, a character described as “a slave boy often portrayed in colorful pantaloons and blackface.” When his colleagues object to the concept, Dwight shoots a text to Nate (Mark Proksch). The scene cuts to Nate outside, dressed as Black Pete was described, who turns away before entering the party. Rather than pull the episode altogether, the sce...
The Democratic Party of Orange County has passed a resolution calling for the John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California to be renamed. The resolution cites Wayne’s history of “white supremacist, anti-LGBT, and anti-indigenous views,” and specifically quotes the actor’s comments in a 1971 interview with Playboy. “With a lot of Blacks, there’s quite a bit of resentment, along with their dissent, and possibly rightfully so,” Wayne said in the interview. “But we can’t all of a sudden get down on our knees and turn everything over to the leadership of the Blacks. I believe in white supremacy until the Blacks are educated to a point of responsibility.” “I don’t believe in giving authority and positions of leadership and judgment to irresponsible people,” Wayne went on to say. “I don’t feel we ...
Source: LOGAN CYRUS / Getty With the anti-police brutality demonstrations slowing down and bills to hold police officers accountable stalling in the US senate, police officers across the board are still showing their true colors as they resist any kind of police reform and many have been busted for their racist outbursts. The latest such incident comes from North Carolina where The Charlotte Observer is reporting three boys in blue have been fired after video of them ranting about a the necessity of a new Civil War to “wipe Black people off the map” surfaced. On Tuesday (June 23) The Wilmington Police Department relieved Cpl. Jessie Moore, and officers Kevin Piner and Brian Gilmore of their badge and gun for violating standards of conduct, criticism and use of inappropriate jokes and ...
Scrubs has some literal scrubbing to do. As Variety reports, show creator Bill Lawrence and ABC themselves are pulling multiple episodes featuring characters in blackface from Hulu. There are three episodes of Scrubs in total with various characters in blackface: “My Fifteen Seconds” (season 3, episode 7), “My Jiggly Ball” (season 5, episode 4), and “My Chopped Liver” (season 5, episode 17). In one of them, Zach Braff, who plays the show’s lead character, wears blackface at a party. In another, Sarah Chalke’s character is in blackface during a dream sequence. Lawrence confirmed that Scrubs episodes were being removed after being tagged in a tweet about 30 Rock taking down its own blackface episodes from streaming networks and syndication. When asked if Scrubs could do the same, L...
Two weeks after HBO Max pulled Gone With the Wind, the Oscar-winning film has returned to the platform, with a new historical disclaimer in tow. The 1939 film is the recipient of ten Academy Awards, and ranks as the highest-grossing motion picture in American history (adjusted to inflation). Yet, in the eyes of some, the film’s depiction of Black characters as racist stereotypes who are cheerfully and gratefully subservient to the white characters is untenable in modern day America. On June 10th, HBO Max announced it was temporarily removing Gone With the Wind until the film could be prefaced by “a discussion of its historical context and a denouncement” of its ethnic and racial prejudices.” Such a discussion has now been added in the form of a four-minute featurette w...
30 Rock is about to get slimmer. As Variety reports, creators Tina Fey and Robert Carlock alongside NBCUniversal have requested that multiple episodes featuring characters in blackface be removed from streaming networks and syndication. “As we strive to do the work and do better in regards to race in America, we believe that these episodes featuring actors in race-changing makeup are best taken out of circulation,” Fey explained in a statement obtained by Variety. “I understand now that ‘intent’ is not a free pass for white people to use these images. I apologize for pain they have caused. Going forward, no comedy-loving kid needs to stumble on these tropes and be stung by their ugliness. I thank NBCUniversal for honoring this request.” As Vulture notes, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) appe...
Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing will be honored this week by the American Film Institute. The 1989 Oscar-nominated masterpiece has been named their latest Movie Club selection, and to celebrate, they’ll be speaking to the director himself. “AFI Movie Club’s global reach has inspired the need for more thoughtful discussions about films that have shaped our culture,” said CEO Bob Gazzale. “Do The Right Thing is a timeless and timely classic, and Spike Lee has forever proven himself the voice for change that we need now more than ever. We would like to thank our partners at Universal for their essential support in educating and inspiring audiences around the world.” The conversation goes down this Thursday, June 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT via the AFI YouTube channel. In anticipation,...
Howard Stern and Donald Trump Jr. Howard Stern used to be close buds with Donald Trump, having him and members of his family as guests on his show numerous times over the years. His alliances have clearly changed, as he’s called Trump’s initial campaign for president a publicity stunt while also encouraging his supporters to drink bleach. That turn of opinion has raised the ire of Donald Trump Jr., who called Stern out over the weekend for an old bit he did in which he wore blackface and used the n-word repeatedly. Now, the shock jock has responded on his SiriusXM morning show. For context, the 1993 sketch in question aired during a New Year’s Eve pay-per-view special. Stern was lampooning Ted Danson, who had worn blackface to a Friar’s Club roast with his then-girlfrie...