Lady Gaga, Is Domestic Violence Okay If You Make It Look "Fierce"??

After seeing this, I'm happy that Lady Gaga doesn't consider herself a feminist. Is it now in style to be abused as long as you make it look sensual, sexy, and "fierce"?! Give me a break!

P.S. The whole "Black Widow" theme might not be the best way to show how much you "hail" men.

"Family Guy" and Abortion

I've watched Family Guy a few times, and I find it hilarious. However, I'm not sure how I feel about them doing, or thinking about doing, a show on abortion. I'm very pro-choice, but I think abortion is NOT a laughing matter. This post isn't demonizing Family Guy, but instead trying to say that not all issues can be made funny...now matter how many talking babies are in the show. Simply put, something things can be serious and humorous at once. However, not everyone knows how to safely make those jokes, so why bother taking that risk?

P.S. I also have a few problems with the way the show jokes about disabled individuals and other minorities. Those issues will probably be discussed in later posts.

Keith Olbermann Serves Sarah Palin a Harsh Dish of Reality

I think writing an extensive blog after this video would be pointless. I completely agree with Mr. Olbermann in his Special Comment to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. I think that before she criticizes our goverment and our leaders' plans for it, she should find and throughly read a survey of American history and politics textbook. For someone who wanted to be Vice President, she sure seems to have a radical way of "playing" with the public. We all realize that Obama's plan includes no "death panels." The fact that someone who claims to be rational would perpetuate such propoganda makes me want to yell with joy when I think of the results of the 2008 presidential election. It is such a shame that a woman would be so anti-feminist that she cannot see the need for all Americans to have healthcare. Also, it is beyond sad to see the most prominent female of the Republican party spout such garbage. Mrs. Palin, do you not realize that with your power in your party and the amount of supporters (even though I know none) you have, you could be influential and turn a party that has been shunned into a party of rationale and equality? However, I am happy that you continue to relish in your ignorance because that means that your party will do the same and, eventually, bring about its own end.

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Lady Gaga: The Feminist Non-Feminist

I will be the first person to admit that I jam to a little Lady Gaga from time to time. I think she's one of the most interesting artists out right now. However, a part of me wonders if she is more of a "personality" than an artist. She wears weird outfits, hangs out with Perez Hilton, and then talks in this soft, placating voice that is obviously not the way she really talks. I think she's trying to become something larger than the music industry's comprehension, but in the process of doing so, she herself is losing sight of what it is she aims to be. In the following video, she is interviewed and asked if she identifies herself as a feminist. Her reply is (not verbatim) that she's not a feminist because she "hails" men and worships their contributions to American culture, such as bars, muscle cars, and beer. Before I give my full opinion, check out the video for yourself.

First of all, who said that the things she attributes to men are strictly masculine things? I know plenty of women who love beer and muscle cars. I myself love those things. As for bars, did I miss the history lesson on how men developed the concept of bars? For years, I'm sure people have gathered to drink and enjoy each other's company. What Ms. Gaga fails to acknowledge is the male established bars she "hails" so much were originally inaccessible to women unless they were the entertainment, if you know what I mean. So, in essence, I believe Lady Gaga really cherishes misogyny and gender binaries. It just amazes me how she can bash double standards and the "cigarette smoking rockstars" who get praise for sleeping with numerous women, while in the next breath she praises the establishment that allows those double standards to exist. C'mon, Gaga! Get your story together! Better yet, get your identity together. We're dying to hear who you decide you are going to be tomorrow....even though we know it might change in a week or two. Nevertheless, in the meantime it might be better to stop singing about sexual liberation since we all know you're still a slave to oppressive gender ideas.

BET's "Tiny & Toya"= Is BET Obsessed with Representing Black Women Negatively?

I am not a habitual watcher of BET's new hit show "Tiny & Toya," but I know many people (some of whom are black women) who are addicted to the show. However, the few times that I have seen the show it would be an understatement to call my reaction "shocked." I was more appalled than anything else. First of all, I think I should provide some background information on these two ladies before I discuss why the show troubles me. Tameka "Tiny" Cottle is known as the fiance of rapper T.I. and a former member of the all-female R&B group of the 90s called Xscape. She is even the writer of the smash hit TLC song "No Scrubs." With that being said, one cannot underestimate the success and talent of Ms. Cottle. My problem with Tiny is not that she speaks in a vernacular that makes her hard to understand, but instead her insistence on doing what T.I. asks of her rather than what she would like to do. She often discusses in the episodes I have watched how T.I.'s only request from her is that she doesn't work. Really? In 2009, there are still men asking women to be "kept"? Women who had made names for themselves before meeting their male partners? That is absolutely absurd to me. As for how Tiny feels about this request, I get the impression she thinks it is reasonable. However, she seems to find it hard to leave behind her other love: music. Viewers of the show will probably find out if she chooses to pursue music again despite her fiance's objections.

(photo: www.bestdamnafternoonshow)

Tameka Cottle ("Tiny")

Toya, on the other hand, is best known as the ex-wife of rapper Lil' Wayne. On the show, Toya states that Wayne met her when she was very young and the two grew very close over a short period of time. Later, she became pregnant with the rapper's daughter when she was a pre-teen (as was he). However, I was informed tonight by a friend who watches the show that Toya has never had a job in her entire life. Granted, I did not hear this information first-hand, yet I am still troubled by it. But then again, why would she work? She has money, possibly from Lil' Wayne's alimony and child support checks. Nevertheless, I do not think living this way, possibly on money she might have received through a divorced settlement or from her child's child support, is setting a good example for her daughter. Not to mention it seems that Lil' Wayne isn't exactly making the smartest decisions when it comes to showing his daughter how men should respect women. On this year's BET Awards, Lil' Wayne performed "I Wanna F**k Every Girl in the World" while his daughter was on-stage! WOW!

(photo: www.hair-sugar.com)

Antonia Carter ("Toya")

This show is nothing more than a way to perpetuate and glamorize the negative stereotypes often associated with black women. You have the "Oh I'm So Desperate to Keep a Man" stereotype and the "Just Be A Successful Rapper's Baby Mama and You'll Have it Made" stereotype. BET needs to really take a good look at themselves and realize that Black Entertainment should not be at the EXPENSE of Black people. It should exist to show positive images of the Black community that could potentially help uplift its members. Until the network shows that type of positive programming, BET cannot count me among its number of devoted viewers.