Guilty pleasures don’t define a black man.
Editor’s note: This is Chapter 1 of a serialized version of my political satire/memoir “Dungeons ’n’ Durags: One Black Nerd’s Epic Quest of Self-discovery, Racial Identity, and Crisis of Faith in Trump’s America.” You can continue to read this book FREE on Medium through Chapter 35. I feel confident it’ll make you laugh and think. Or, if you’re feeling bold and want to read the ENTIRE manuscript (40+ chapters and all), you can get it cheap at DnDBook.com. Either way, enjoy the ride and… “Hold on to your butts!”
I’m currently in the middle of yet another one of my mind-numbingly frustrating, and seemingly nonsensical debates with Samuel L. Jackson. Yes, THAT Samuel L. Jackson. Well, technically, it’s not really Sam Jackson. It’s his character Jules from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. And to be honest, it’s not even really Jules. He’s something else. …
This is an online book. So start at the beginning.
Hey there. If you’re new to this publication, welcome. This is an online version of my political satire/memoir, Dungeons ’n’ Durags: One Black Nerd’s Epic Quest of Self-discovery, Racial Identity, and Crisis of Faith in Trump’s America. Books typically start with chapter 1. But Medium does not make it easy to put posts in chronological order (and I sure as hell ain’t gonna take the time to manually re-organize all this sh*t.) Soooo, if you are new to this book (i.e. you’re arriving here for the first time) start at chapter 1.
Or, just buy the damn book
I would be remiss if I did not make the humble suggestion that you just go and buy the damn eBook. It’s like ten bucks. But, because you happened to catch me in a good mood, use this link to get it for 20% off. Either way, I promise you’ll enjoy the ride. …
“It’s A Superhero Movie” is not an excuse for bad storytelling
Wonder Woman 1984 is a disappointment of a movie filled with silly contrivances and lazy storytelling. What can we learn from it?
Let me start off by saying this is not a formal review of the movie per se. There are plenty of other resources to read or watch that will scratch your review itch.
What I want to do with this post is address one particular excuse I see that keeps popping up in response to the deluge of criticism this movie has received. …
Yet another example of the evangelical church in America showing its true color.
The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the largest and most conservative evangelical denominations in the United States. They recently came out with a formal statement on Critical Race Theory (CRT). Their stance? That it’s bad and non-biblical and it's the official position of the denomination that CRT doesn’t adhere to biblical principles. As such, no aspects of CRT should be taught in SBC seminaries or churches.
What is CRT?
In short, CRT is a set of beliefs and teachings that address the role that institutionalized racism has played and continues to play in America. It’s a way of being able to look at institutionalized structures — like policing, voting, the prison system, schools, finances, etc. …
How I got to 54,000 words with a purpose, a rock, and an eclectic soundtrack
As of this writing, we’re less than a week out from a big event. No, I’m not talking about the 2020 United States presidential election. I’m talking about National Novel Writing Month (aka NaNoWriMo).
Every year, thousands of writers all over the world commit the month of November to write a minimum of 50,000 words. For some, it will be their first time. For others, their umpteenth. I did it two years ago and it was the burst of inspiration I need to write my book “Dungeons ’n’ Durags” (for which I recently landed a traditional publisher). …
Ironically, one of the most beautiful aspects of Christianity probably holds the answer.
Note: there is a NON-SPOILER reference to the TV show “The Good Place” in this article. If you prefer to know NOTHING about the show, then proceed with caution (I promise that what I reveal does not spoil anything of major import). If you comment about the show, please do so in a NON-SPOILER way.
As of this writing, I’m currently halfway through season 3 of the 4-season story arc of “The Good Place.” As a fan of pop culture film and television, I can say with all confidence it is by far one of the most creative and funny television shows I’ve seen in my half-century of existence on this planet. It’s witty, hilarious, and surprisingly touching. …
And other reasons for supporting Trump.
So many Christians are against abortion and I frankly don’t understand why. The Bible has tons of verses that make killing children, or those who don’t believe the right way, not only acceptable, but mandated.
Abraham was told to kill Isaac. Nothing suggested to Abraham this was out of the ordinary, so we must assume that it was, like, a thing. Deuteronomy tells us that if your rambunctious and disobedient teen gets out of line, take him to the town to be stoned. God orders the Israelites to kill every man, woman, and child among the Amalekites. …
Please return by the appointed time with all the original packaging.
The various heads of the President’s Security Council, chairpersons of Senate and House investigative committees, and ambassadors from around the world, all sit around the war room as interstellar linguist Dr. Framke Johannestein re-reads the translated message:
People of Earth. This is a friendly reminder that your free trial of the “human” you know as Taylor Swift (hereafter "the Product") expires next Saturday at exactly Stardate β3.245.456 GMT (galactic meridian time), which is approximately 4:54 pm CST (give or take a quantum Tirulian second). Let us remind you that your original trial period of three-quarters of a Berulean Leap Year originally lapsed well over thirty-four hepta-quarsecs ago. If you do not return her by the appointed time, we will have no choice but to extract from your atmosphere payment in full. Such payment shall be equal to or greater than the combined amount of carbon dioxide emitted by Swifties during the Product's time on Earth, multiplied by 1.21 gigawatts. …The fact I even have to write this title is sheer insanity.
I was dumbfounded a month or so ago when I met a Black man online who shared a video by a Black pastor who was claiming that the #BlackLivesMatter movement was that of professed witches. The Black man who shared this video is a Christian. I believe he believes that he’s doing “God’s work” by helping to expose the “evils” of the leaders of Black Lives Matter.
The number of people I’m encountering online who believe in this kind of nonsense is baffling. These are the same kinds of people who fall into the camp that the BLM founders and followers are Marxists. How is it that we live in a world like this? …
Money is not the only value you can get from doing a job
Whether or not you do free work is a very controversial topic. “Get paid what you’re worth,” that’s what most professional creatives believe (including myself).
If you earn a living as a professional creative, you put way too much time, energy, heart, and soul into what you do just to give it away. And one of the biggest mistakes I see professional creatives make (especially in the pro video world), is not charging enough for their work.
So it may seem confusing, contradictory, or even hypocritical when I tell you that giving away your work should be part of your marketing strategy. The question is: when, why, and how to do it in a manner that supports your brand and actually yields the results you want. …
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