Another mass school shooting?
There was a video of an emotional mother expressing her frustration during a breaking news segment on WTVF, a Nashville news station. The woman posed a question to the news media, saying, “Aren’t you guys tired of covering this? Aren’t you guys tired of having to come here and cover these mass shootings?” Her family survived a mass shooting last July in Highland Park, IL and has lobbied for stronger gun safety legislation. A mass shooting occurred at a Nashville Presbyterian private school where three children and three staff members, including the perpetrator, were killed. The 28-year-old shooter was armed with assault-style weapons and a handgun.
It seems that lessons from past school shootings aren’t enough to break the chain of this gun reform paralysis America suffers from. Again, this country has failed its children. The typical reactions from lawmakers do just enough to make you want to roll your eyes. Politically, there is no common ground for stricter gun laws, and we won’t know what it will take. From the looks of it, not even the deaths of children will move this idea forward.
Digital blackface on social
Young Man surprised about what he is seeing on his phone. Credit: Adobe Stock Images
Newsflash: If you are white and caught using Black memes and gifs to express yourself on social media, you’ll most likely see heat! Did you see how quickly that Mississippi anchor got fired for using Snoop Dogg’s phrase “Fo Shizzle, My Nizzle” on air? Some specific phrases or digital references used by Black folks will not fly with non-Black people. CNN recently ran a column recently by John Blake that explained how white people’s use of these Black memes may have “Inadvertently perpetuated one of the most insidious forms of contemporary racism,” which is “digital blackface.” The column defines digital blackface as when “White people co-opt online expressions of Black imagery, slang, catchphrases or culture to convey comic relief or express emotions.” The CNN story prompted widespread criticism and debate on Twitter.
I direct this question to the readers: Is this a valid argument, or is this another excuse to add the race card into every situation?
Jonathan Majors: Tarnished reputation
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – FEBRUARY 23: Jonathan Majors attends the CREED III HBCU fan screening presented by MGM Studios at Regal Atlantic Station on February 23, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. Credit: Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for MGM Studios
Will Smith, Christ Brown, Ja Morant, Da Baby… These are just a few talented Black men in the sports and entertainment industry whose images have been tarnished by actions that will follow them for the rest of their careers.
Jonathan Majors, a beloved figure in the film industry, has now become an example of what many believe to be a woman abuser. He was recently accused of strangling a woman and was subsequently arrested. In good old internet-era form, people made up their minds and prepared to jump on that cancel culture train. The accuser later recanted her allegations. I can’t say if the woman is lying, considering many victims retract statements in fear for their lives. Full details aren’t available as to what happened (Major’s attorney says video evidence will support his client’s claims of innocence), but regardless of whether he is innocent, this will follow him for the rest of his career. Majors was dropped from a voiceover advertisement he did in partnership with the U.S. Army after the alleged incident.
Before now, his biggest controversy was questions surrounding his masculinity after his rather colorful Ebony photoshoot. The lesson learned here is that it doesn’t matter how influential the celebrity might be; we don’t know them well enough to put them on a pedestal. And the very people who praise you will be the people who become your executioner.
