When going out my front door is an act of defiance. — Lazy Sunday afternoons and racism go together like milk and coffee. What would otherwise jolt gets diluted. Dulled. Defanged. One June weekend, to help out a friend, I worked a bookstall at a neighborhood Greek festival. Twangy folk music mingled with the gamey scent of grilled lamb. Kids in ragtag…

I’d had this theory for a while. Then Tim Denning’s post confirmed it. — I’ve been sitting on this. (No pun intended.) Dick pics. They basically all say something like I think this is pretty hot stuff, don’t you? Does that ring a bell? To me, a writer looking to get my writing in front of people, that sounds exactly like the submissions process. …

‘Block and delete’ is NOT on this list. — Ah, a notification of a comment not accompanied by applause from the reader. Land mine alert. How I love waking up on a bright summer morning to the smell of a fresh troll dump. Especially when a screed requires page scrolls. A lot of people will say just ignore it…

Let’s stop guilt-tripping him like he’s let us down. — It came to light recently that Christian Cooper, the Black man who a white woman called 911 on, has “chosen not to aid” the prosecution by the Manhattan district attorney’s office. The woman, Amy Cooper (no relation), is charged with a misdemeanor for filing a false report that an “African-American…

But keep doing it anyway. — My Inbox is filled with earnest, graphic-free letters from brands: “We Stand with the Black Community” (17 emails with this title) “Black Lives Matter” (10 emails) “Taking a Stand for Black Lives” (5 emails) “We Must Do Better to Combat Racism” (4 emails) I’m sure your Inbox is, too. As…

The “What’s next, fire Bart’s female voice actor?” retort falls flat. — June is Pride Month. Like the mosquitoes that hound me on cue, no June seems to ever go by without the reliable “Why can’t we have straight pride parades?” That is what I’m reminded of, as corners of the Internet are abuzz over the latest pop-culture development in inclusivity. So…

It can hurt your relationship irreparably. — My dad was annoying as hell when it came to Father’s Day. I bought him something, he’d say I shouldn’t splurge and saving money was important. I made him an elaborate, special meal, he’d say the flavor could use X, Y, or Z. “Whoa, that’s abusive,” some might say. Not…

A multi-voiced ode to the upcoming Fourth of July — We stood for something The world believed it That something is now lost How strange, we tried to be great. Last breaths squeezed out, live on camera Simple and indifferent Like your thumb on an ant They don’t have feelings Do they? You must “dominate” protesters The president says to…

On empathy and honesty when delivering truth — A war has been going on since time immemorial. Ever since humankind first coaxed our screeches and hoots into consonants and vowels, minting words that we eventually strung into sentences. I’m talking about the war over delivering truth. There’s the honesty-as-a-badge-of-honor camp, wielding truth as a weapon, and blaming the…