This week has been about as pleasant as getting a splinter in your sac while dropping a hammer on your big toe. For many people of a certain age, a part of their childhood cried out upon hearing that Robin Williams took his own life after years of dealing with severe depression. And Black folks in particular experienced pain after the shooting of unarmed teen Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Combine that with the horror of watching the inept but equipped Ferguson police department disrupt peaceful protests with disregard for the First Amendment, and word of yet another unarmed Black man being shot to death by a member of the LAPD, the end result is a cocktail of righteous Black rage across many timelines.
Yes, it's one of those weeks where if you're White and have a Black friend, your White guilt levels might be at peak highs. Well, unless you're BFFs with Don Lemon, who always manages to find a way to fault Black people for being Black. In any event, this week ain't really about the ha-ha — it's more to vent frustrations while using social media to organize protests — but there are some laughs to be found. Some are dark, others ooze in sarcasm, but all and all, for so many people of color, we have to find some laughter in all of this madness. Rest in peace to Michael Brown, Ezell Ford, and John Crawford III, who was shot at a Walmart for daring to wave a BB gun. America, try really hard to give us colored folk a break next week. Damn.
Michael Arceneaux is from the land of Beyoncé, but now lives in the city of Master Splinters. Follow him at @youngsinick.
1. U-Haul Your Way Away From Racism
2. No Love For Don Lemon
3. Gon' Somewhere, Glover
When Donald Glover wrote a haiku about how Twitter activism not working (see above), I assumed he was high. Then he returned to say that not only was he perfectly sober, he meant exactly what he said. He went on to make other points that made absolutely no sense — which only made me wish I were high instead. This woman right here, though, madam is a winner for this reply. Salute her.
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5. Welcome to Hell
6. Got My Hater Blockers On
7. Altar Call
8. Bad Suits, Worse Ideas
9. The Brave Get Baes
10. Major Sanders
11. Tired Ponytails
