TresSugar

German Food Company Honors Obama, Offends World

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:00:04 -0700

A German company has its very own funcooker on its hands. To pay homage to America and its new president, a German purveyor of frozen-food delicacies launched a new product - Obama Fingers. "Tender, juicy pieces of chicken breast, coated and fried" It's like chicken. Like fried chicken.

Oh. Whoops! But can we really expect a German food company to know (though maybe market research could've checked?) that fried chicken is tinged with years of racial stereotyping in the US? A company spokesperson said it was simply trying to capitalize on the fact that American food is trendy and selling right now. And, really, what is more American than that?

Source

Obama Brand Goes Global Perhaps Lifting American Brand

LibertySugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 15:45:00 -0700

From Europe to South America to Asia to his father's birthplace in Kenya, Barack Obama's candidacy has made an impact. Black Europeans are pinning their hopes for more representation in their government on a persuasive example set by the election of Barack. Citing his charisma and ideas, black community leaders say his race is not the only reason for the transatlantic support.

Meanwhile, Colombia has adopted a more spirited way to show support - making Obama the mascot of their lottery. Colombia's Metal region placed Obama's face on its Oct. 22 ticket. In a country whose president strongly supports President Bush, the lottery officials explained the mood of the people: "We picked Obama's portrait for our lottery because we're always looking for somebody people are raving about. He's ahead in opinion polls and right now he's the most popular guy around here."

In his NYT's column today, Nicholas Kristof recounts the disbelief a friend in Beijing shared when he told her there's a good chance America will elect a black man president. To see how he explained the potential of an Obama presidency, read more.

Kristof wrote:

We’re beginning to get a sense of how Barack Obama’s political success could change global perceptions of the United States, redefining the American “brand” to be less about Guantanamo and more about equality. This change in perceptions would help rebuild American political capital in the way that the Marshall Plan did in the 1950s or that John Kennedy’s presidency did in the early 1960s.

Are you excited by the possibility of global Bush hatred being replaced by Obama mania?

Source

First All-Black Town Mirrors Community's Success & Struggle

LibertySugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Six miles from downtown Orlando sits Eatonville, FL, the country's first all-black town to incorporate. From 27 black families in the 1880s to a population of around 2,400 that is 90 percent black, the town's history has mirrored the pride and complications of the African-American experience, explains a New York Times profile.

In 1887, 22 years after slavery ended, the town's men voted unanimously to incorporate Eatonville. Native daughter Zora Neale Hurston, author of Their Eyes Were Watching God, was born in Eatonville in 1891 and used her birthplace for inspiration. During desegregation, some residents worried that the introduction of white students and teachers would dilute Eatonville's cohesiveness and its youth's confidence. In 1988 a highway project threatened the town, prompting a new surge of civic spirit. To combat the road that never happened, Eatonville created an annual festival to showcase the its strengths and pride.

Eatonville, which embodies black empowerment, but also sees a poverty rate twice the US average, has increasingly become a Florida tourist stop. Would you pay a visit?

Source

Is Bill Cosby Right About the African-American Community?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 15:00:41 -0800

Bill Cosby was in Ohio last night speaking in front of 2,000 people at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church of Oakwood Village. The 70-year-old comedian has raised hackles recently by referring to detrimental issues in the African-American community as "dirty laundry." Last night his speech had a decidedly more religious overtone.

Addressing personal responsibility, Cosby said, "Jesus never said, 'Sit down! I shall go forth and do it for ye!'" Adding, "Where did we go wrong? And they keep pointing to civil rights. We didn't lose it in civil rights! We won!"

Do you find Cosby's current message shocking? Is he an appropriate messenger? Do you think he's unfairly generalizing about a population? Is he right?

New York Times Traces First Lady's Slave Roots

TresSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0700

The New York Times ran a captivating historical piece today about a six-year-old slave named Melvinia. The paper traces her family's five-generation journey from slavery to modern success.

It's a fascinating American story that just so happens to be part of first lady Michelle Obama's story, too. Using old public records, fading photos, and recollections of older family members, the New York Times, along with genealogist Megan Smolenyak, have uncovered Melvinia's story, which fully connects the first lady to the history of slavery for the first time.

To see an excerpt from the piece, read more.

In 1850, the elderly master of a South Carolina estate took pen in hand and painstakingly divided up his possessions. Among the spinning wheels, scythes, tablecloths and cattle that he bequeathed to his far-flung heirs was a 6-year-old slave girl valued soon afterward at $475. In his will, she is described simply as the “negro girl Melvinia.” After his death, she was torn away from the people and places she knew and shipped to Georgia. While she was still a teenager, a white man would father her first-born son under circumstances lost in the passage of nearly two centuries.

In the annals of American slavery, this painful story would be utterly unremarkable, save for one reason: This union, consummated some two years before the Civil War, marked the origins of a family line that would extend from rural Georgia, to Birmingham, Ala., to Chicago and, finally, to the White House.

Melvinia Shields, the enslaved and illiterate young girl, and the unknown white man who impregnated her are the great-great-great-grandparents of Michelle Obama, the first lady.

To many, Michelle's family story powerfully represents African-American advancement. But her mixed background is also representative of Americans in general, as Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explored in his definitive documentary on genealogy called African American Lives. A historian who discovered that he had black relatives when he researched his memoir tells the New York Times: "We’ve all mingled, and we have done so for generations."

A Doll of One's Own: Mattel Rolls Out New Black Barbies

TresSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 12:15:00 -0700

Mattel has launched some new black Barbie dolls, and they're getting praised and dissed in equal measure. Grace, Kara, and Trichelle, created by Stacy McBride-Irby to give her daughter and other African-American girls dolls that resemble them, have been criticized by some for not being "black enough."

"I love the black Barbie. It's about time," said Jua Simpson, a reporter for CNN's iReport. "But the hair is still a step backwards, since most of our hair is not straight and light brown." (Check out BellaSugar's review of Chris Rock's documentary Good Hair, which addresses this loaded subject for black women.)

These new black Barbies could be said to be a step in the right direction for a couple reasons. First off, it's important that there's not a monolithic (i.e. white) sense of what's beautiful, and studies have shown that little girls of color do absorb the idea that white equals beautiful.

Also, it sounds like more thought was put into creating Grace, Kara, and Trichelle than the Oreo Barbie (hand smacks forehead!) that Mattel came out with in 1997. I guess with all the focus groups and marketing Mattel must surely do, no one bothered to tell them that "Oreo" is a term used by some in the black community to denote someone who is black but "acts" white. (I'm guessing the Oreo Barbie tanked?)

My question is, should we be pushing dolls (of whatever color) on girls at all? Don't dolls just get them to focus on how they look, as opposed to toys that would invite them to invent, think and do things, like boys' toys? (I mean, boys have ~~dolls~~ action figures, but yeah, notice the emphasis is on action, on doing things rather than on just being pretty.)

What do you think about the new black Barbies and about dolls as girls' primary toys in general? Do you think it's outdated to push dolls on girls, or do you think girls gravitate to dolls naturally?

Source

Black Lawmakers Are Not Kool With Menthol Cigarettes

LibertySugar — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:00:49 -0700

Black lawmakers want menthol flavor included in a bill set to ban cigarettes with a candy, fruit, or spice flavor. The Congressional Black Caucus says the legislation should not specifically exempt menthol cigarettes, the flavor favored in the black community, according to today's New York Times.

Since the 1950s, tobacco companies have targeted menthol cigarette advertising at the black community. Research suggests that menthols increase the risk of addiction and cancer. Reports of a 200-person dust up in Florida, ignited by a pack of stolen cigarettes, makes me think addiction can be pretty dangerous.

The lawmakers want to add an amendment that would increase research and clearly give the FDA authority to ban the flavor. The NY Times article reports that emails from Newport are popping up in smokers' inboxes, urging them to contact their representatives. Regardless of whether menthol makes the banning bill, opposition from President Bush and tobacco state legislators means the entire bill may not pass anyway. Do you think flavors making it easier to smoke should be banned? What do you make of laws targeting specific communities?

Source

Obama Outraged by Rev. Wright's Comments and Spectacle

LibertySugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:30:38 -0700

At a press conference today, Barack Obama said he was was outraged by his former pastor's, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, recent assertion that criticism of his controversial sermons is an attack on the black church.

Obama had some strong words for the Reverend's person and positions:

The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but they also give comfort to those that prey on hate and I believe they do not accurately portray the perspective of the black church. They certainly do not accurately portray my values and beliefs. If Reverend Wright thinks that is political posturing on my part, he does not know me very well.

Obama said that he gave Reverend Wright the benefit of the doubt in his Philadelphia speech, based on all the good the pastor had done in his church. But, Obama said he is now again offended by the Reverend's decision to amplify his ridiculous propositions. Wright had made three public appearances in four days.

Do you think Americans will be side-tracked by the controversial Reverend, who seems to enjoy the spotlight? Will Obama's denouncements be enough to separate him from a figure who is causing division instead or unity, or will his efforts fall on deaf ears? Is Barack forever guilty by association?

Source

Should the Media Stay Away From Michelle Obama's Heritage?

TresSugar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:00 -0700

Yesterday, the New York Times ran a piece on Michelle Obama's connection to slavery. Using old public records, fading photos, and recollections of older family members, the New York Times, along with genealogist Megan Smolenyak, uncovered details that fully connect the first lady to the history of slavery for the first time. While the piece was captivating, some worry that it was not appropriate.

The issue of race in America's past and present is undoubtedly a sensitive subject. Many Americans, including African-Americans, want to celebrate the Obamas' path to the White House, and the story about Michelle Obama's slave roots helps shed light on just how far our society has come. In addition, the fact that Michelle's great-great-great-grandfather was white might remind this diverse country that we share a common past. Yet other people feel that the independent piece on her heritage violates her privacy or focuses on her race when the Obamas have made it clear that they want to move past it.

The first lady has declined to comment on the article due to its personal nature. Now that Michelle Obama is first lady, is it fair for the public to take an interest in her genealogy, or was this piece in bad taste?

Grab Bag: Girls Just Wanna Have Flowers

TresSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Do real men buy women flowers? - The Frisky
Women could lose health coverage. - Feministing
How to use a vibrator with a guy. - Lemondrop
Who women think about when they masturbate. - Em & Lo
South African billboard mocks Caster Semenya controversy. - Jezebel
"The real reason American women are so unhappy." - Double X
Is dating divorced men better? - Your Tango
9 signs a guy's a keeper. - Smitten