July 26, 2013

If a mind can be opened as the result of conscious effort, it can be closed by conscious effort, too.

We have to purposefully take steps forward. That way, we're further ahead when life forces us to step backward (because in this system of things, life will force us to step backward).

Rae Dawn Chong, who co-starred with Oprah Winfrey in The Color Purple 28 years ago (!), made news recently by "praising" Oprah during an interview in which she said Oprah had come from being the fat girl in high school, and that she was more "field n*gg*r" than "house n*gg*r". Although she has since "apologized", claiming that the words recorded coming out of her mouth were taken out of context (?), my question is: whose idea was it to interview Rae Dawn Chong in the first place? At least she might get a fruit basket from Paula Deen, with a note: "Thanks, honey, for takin' some of the pressure off me."

Did you know that there's a "reality" TV show chronicling the lives of The Real Babymamas of Richmond? I guess someone finally realized there are more babymamas than housewives these days.

I am as excited about the birth of Prince George Alexander Louis as I would be about the birth of any baby that isn't mine (because that would be even more exciting!). But do you think there'd be this much excitement in Great Britain if the Obamas had another baby?

Okay, Kanye West, the paparazzo you assaulted last week might have provoked you (who hasn't heard by now how you feel about the paparazzi?), but it's illegal to put your hands on someone just because he spoke to you, it's foolish to do it in front of a dozen other cameramen, and it's downright crazy to do so after announcing that you know you're being provoked into committing a violent act. Kirstie Alley, we just have to agree to disagree.

Some suggest that the heroic act of helping pull a family of four from an overturned car has changed some opinions of George Zimmerman. I think it's commendable to rescue people in danger, but if the only other option is watching them suffer, isn't it just doing the right thing?

I haven't read the Rolling Stone article on Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was the accomplice of his late brother in the Boston marathon bombing. It's been said that it's a poignant study about how such a young man becomes a terrorist, although the magazine has been criticized for glamorizing Tsarnaev on its cover, and several retailers have refused to sell this issue. In spite of the backlash, the sales of this issue are more than usual. Interesting, huh?

This may sound totally self-involved, but when I read the tagline on Geraldo Rivera's newsmaking near-selfie (btw, you can't unsee that),  "70 is the new 50",  all I could think was, "I expect to be better than that when I'm 50."

As long as there are people around who will make race an issue, race is going to be an issue.


Agape' -- P