Harriet Beecher Stowe has likely rolled 500 miles in her grave by now. She wrote the second best-selling novel in the 19th century, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, only for it to be boiled down to the grime of an epithet over 200 years later: Uncle Tom. The title character she illustrated in 1852 laid down his life for escapingContinue reading “Uncle Toms, Aunt Jemimas, and Other Distant Relatives”
Category Archives: race & culture
Turning in My Selfie Resignation
The Internet is overrun with selfies. Some alluring, some precocious, some nerdy, some pretending they don’t know that a picture is being taken when the mirror shows the camera in their hand. Look away, act surprised selfies. Duck-lipped, pouty princess, queen of all bees selfies. Other selfies are more artful, playing with light against theContinue reading “Turning in My Selfie Resignation”
May I Whoop Your Child, Please?
To question a famous proverb written by Hilary Clinton, if it takes a village to raise a child, does that include jacking them up? Raising children is a very hands-on endeavor, and I would like to extrapolate that phrase to mean the village should lay hands on children when necessary. You pray over them and you pop them upsideContinue reading “May I Whoop Your Child, Please?”
Reality TV’s “Heart of Darkness”
It’s Friday, and I’m looking for a lighthearted show to laugh at, but I stumble upon the Discovery Channel’s reality show “Gold Rush: South America.” “Gold Rush” focuses on families of gold prospectors who travel to “strangest place on earth” to mine gold for profit. Discovery markets the show as an adventure series, a glimpse into the livesContinue reading “Reality TV’s “Heart of Darkness””
On the Flipside…Praise Song for Skyler White
AMC’s addictive meth-centered series, Breaking Bad, aired the premiere of its final eight episodes last Sunday. I sat front and center, clutching my pillow every agonizing second of it. A few of my Facebook friends launched a discussion about how much they hated Skyler White, who is the wife of Walter, the anti-hero/villain. This was newsContinue reading “On the Flipside…Praise Song for Skyler White”
dara t. mathis 