Talking It Out

In lieu of the Friday news links, I'm going to share with you a Twitter thread that went viral the other day: 1. I can always appreciate a genuine inquiry regarding #NotAllWhitePeople & #NotAllMen ; join me as I take a more creative route to explain. https://t.co/fxzZJTrn6U — Adrian C. Jackson (@AdrianCJax) August 23, 2017 2. Imaging 13 kids (weird number, I know, but it'll make sense soon enough): 10 of them wear white t-shirts; 3 of them, brown tees. — Adrian C. Jackson (@AdrianCJax) August 23, 2017 3. Everyday, the "white tee" kids get to leave class early to attend lunch ahead of everyone else; the "brown tee" kids follow afterwards. — Adrian C. Jackson (@AdrianCJax) August 23, 2017 4. Unfortunately, like clockwork, the 3 brown tee kids are bullied by 6 of the 10 white tee kids waiting for them & steal their lunch money. — Adrian C. Jackson (@AdrianCJax) August 23, 2017 5. So, naturally, the brown tee ...

Have you seen the VICE video? If not, take 22 minutes...

One of the first posts on this blog was my comment about the  ACLU .  I spoke about neo-Nazis and their desire to march through the streets of Skokie, IL in 1977. My ideals were sorely tested yesterday, as White Supremacists marched through the streets of Charlottesville, VA, wreaking havoc with their hate, spreading fear, advocating violence. Yes, they have a right to express their views.  And the rest of us have the right to condemn those views. But what happened in Charlottesville goes well beyond "free speech" and "peaceful protest". Fear-mongering, intimidation tactics, violence, terrorism, murder.  Criminal acts that are  not protected by our Constitution.   It scared me to see how many of them showed up for this rally.  How much hate exists in this country today.  How emboldened the bigots and fear-mongerers have become, What used to exists in the shadowy outskirts of the political spectrum is moving  has moved to ...

un•com•fort•a•ble ənˈkəmfərdəb(ə)l,ˌənˈkəmftərbəl/ adjective causing or feeling slight pain or physical discomfort. Or causing or feeling unease or awkwardness. REDNECK. HILLBILLY. MORON. FANATIC. OBSTRUCTIONIST. FRINGE WING NUT. MISOGYNIST. RACIST. ZEALOT. EXTREMIST. IDEOLOGUE. LIBTARD. HIPPIE. LIBERAL. ELITIST. CRONY. BLOWHARD. LOON. CUCK. SNOWFLAKE. BETA. CRYBABY. SJW (SHORT FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIOR). First, we have the Oxford Dictionary’s list of the most commonly used “slurs” used by left-leaning internet users, when confronting right-leaning internet users. Followed by the list used by right leaning toward left leaning. It is interesting to me that while the majority of the Left’s insults are recognized as universal language ( Oxford’s study found that the words most used by the left are also used by the right, just in fewer instances ), more than half of the Right’s insults are rooted in the Alt-Right movement . Please be sure you understand this: The “Alt-Right” is...

Our nation was founded on immigration. Unless your ancestors are Native American, your people came from elsewhere. Yet, immigration continues to be a source of debate. And this has been true for every generation. Haven’t we all heard the stories? No one wanted the Irish to come. Nor those from southern Europe. Then it was the Asians. And now it’s those from South America or the Middle East. But, aside from the racism inherent in the arguments, there’s fear. People are afraid that these newcomers are going to change the fabric of the U.S. They’re right, of course. Without immigrants, we wouldn’t have Halloween , spaghetti and meatballs , and  fortune cookies . Different cultures impact us. Whether we choose to see that as harmful or helpful is a matter of perspective. But the big thing people worry about is jobs. What’s going to happen to their jobs? The thing is, most immigrants take jobs that the rest of us don’t want. What happens when there’s a crackdown on illegal i...

Today's A to Z Challenge post brought to you by the letter... The official movement began in 2012 after George Zimmerman was acquitted for murdering Trayvon Martin under Florida’s Stand Your Ground Defense (something that was not allowed in the defense of Marissa Alexander , convicted of aggravated assault in the same year for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband). It began as a conversation between friends on Facebook and quickly grew from there, built into a movement by Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi, and Patrisse Cullors, who organized freedom rides after the death of Michael Brown in Saint Louis. It is an inclusive movement that is not focused on just cis black males but also women, those in the LGBTQ+ spectrum, the disabled, and undocumented immigrants. It’s not unlike the NAACP, an organization designed to protect the civil rights of black people . In fact, at the 2016 NAACP convention, their theme was “Our Lives Matter, Oure Votes Count.” The only real difference...