Archive for the ‘Pop culture’ Category

Multiculturalism is for sale: What exactly are we buying?

Multiculturalism is for sale: What exactly are we buying?
Originally posted on Between The Lines in Psychology Today. On the surface, multiculturalism seems a little like apple pie: It’s American and seemingly everyone wants a piece. No wonder, then, that corporations are trying to sell it to us, one slice at a time. A short time ago, my wife and I took...
January 5th, 2010 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

The racial politics of Avatar pt. 2

The racial politics of Avatar pt. 2
This is the second of a two-part series examining the racial politics of Avatar. In my previous post, I argued that Avatar’s racial politics are more complex and more progressive than critics have given it credit for. It is also the case, however, that the film has some noteworthy sociopolitical...
January 4th, 2010 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

The racial politics of Avatar

The racial politics of Avatar
Originally posted on Between The Lines in Psychology Today. Avatar is so visually stunning it seems almost a shame to break it down and analyze the micro components. I saw it in 3-D, and a day later, I still recall the sensation of being surrounded by grasses and ferns in the jungle and ducking my head...
December 30th, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

Disney’s first black fairy tale: More frog than princess

Disney’s first black fairy tale: More frog than princess
It was déjà vu all over again for me.  It was Christmas, my two young bi-racial nieces were in town for Christmas and we decided to all go see Disney’s new “ Princess & the Frog” movie. To be candid, I thought it was the worst fairy tale I have ever seen in my life. I walked away disturbed...
December 29th, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

Race in the media: The wrong kind of lens

Race in the media: The wrong kind of lens
Originally posted on Stopbigmedia.com What do Disney’s debut film, The Princess and the Frog, Mattel’s new Black Barbie line, and the American tour of the historic Ethiopian fossil, “Lucy,” have in common? Their stories present an opportunity for honest and successful discussions about race in...
December 16th, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

White Man’s Burden Redux: The Movie!

White Man’s Burden Redux: The Movie!
As I am typing this, I am five hours and 25 minutes into a 15+ hour trip on a slow train to Baltimore. I’m on en route to D.C. to interview sociologist and author Dr. James Loewen for my documentary film, A Past, Denied: The Invisible History of Slavery in Canada. This interview is two years in the...
December 3rd, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

Enough about hair!

Enough about hair!
With Chris Rock and his movie, Tyra Banks and her real hair reveal and “fake hair academy,” and Wendy Williams and her wigs, it seems that all anyone can talk about these days is hair. Don’t get me wrong, I am no stranger to having an hour long discussion about the virtues of one hair product over...
December 1st, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture, Talk About Race | Read More

Five mistakes filmmakers make in depicting race

Five mistakes filmmakers make in depicting race
Originally published at Psychology Today’s Between the Lines blog (original post) Every so often, Hollywood produces a film about racial issues that is so honest, so truthful, so powerful that I wish every person could see it. Do The Right Thing (1989) is one such film. Crash (2005) is another....
November 27th, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

Princess, the frog, pitfalls of being too black

Princess, the frog, pitfalls of being too black
Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen (Courtesy Disney Enterprises) Some critics of my radio shows and articles often complain that I make everything into a racial issue. Well, I’m sure they’ll love this one. A lot of folks are aware by now that the new Disney movie, “The Princess and the...
November 24th, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More

Election of the first black president, a license to print hate

Election of the first black president, a license to print hate
The first nine months of Barack Obama’s presidency have witnessed accomplishments (pulling the economy back from the brink) and disappointments (the broken promises to the gay and lesbian community). If you are of a certain age, you have seen this strange and often dispiriting first-year blend of callousness,...
October 12th, 2009 | Culture, Pop culture | Read More
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