Opinion
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So I Watched the 'Y'all Can't Twerk in Here' Video Again, and That Guy's Short-Sleeved Turtleneck Still Makes No Sense
It is below freezing in Pittsburgh today, with wind chills in the teens. I’ve spent much of the day indoors, shielded from the weather and protected by the central heating in our house, but inside still feels the effects of the cold. Sitting next to a window, for instance, feels like sitting next to a…
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Auntie Unfiltered with Tichina Arnold and Tisha Campbell
Hey nieces and nephews! I hope you were able to enjoy Thanksgiving as much as possible. I have a special treat to carry you into the weekend. I got a chance to sit with Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold this week and talk about any and everything. The ladies are returning this year to host…
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This Holiday Season, Be Thankful You're Not Jason Whitlock
“It could be worse” seems to have overtaken the many versions of “I’m fine” on the list of the most common responses to “How are you doing?” Understandable, considering that we’re in a global pandemic and just responding with “I’m fine” feels both disingenuous and insensitive. But while “It could be worse” is sufficiently sober,…
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My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Was the Greatest Rap Album of the 21st Century, and Kanye Never Recovered From It
A funny thing about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy when compared to the other rap albums that exist in the space where “iconic album” and “album I happen to love” overlap is that I don’t remember where or when I first heard it. I could tell you where I was when I first heard Wu-Forever…
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Auntie Unfiltered Chats With the Ladies of En Vogue
I am about to date myself with this one. in 1990, I was living in the dorms on the campus of San Jose State University when one of the girls on my floor produced a tape of some sisters singing the types of harmonies that make you grab your hairbrush, stand in the mirror and…
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Unpopular Opinion: Turkey Is Good
I hadn’t realized exactly how thoroughly I’d been influenced by the onslaught of anti-turkey propaganda until making a Thanksgiving shopping list with my wife this morning. (It is weird that we’re still planning to purchase and cook a sailor’s buffet of food despite the fact that no one will be in our house except for…
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The Root's Clapback Mailbag: The Credit Card
I kinda like hate mail. More than a year ago, I promised to include more complimentary correspondences in the Clapback Mailbag. I swear I tried. It’s not that people don’t share their appreciation for The Root with us. The problem is—and I am still trying to figure out why—I don’t take compliments well. I recognize…
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For White Men Who Have Considered Genocide When Patriarchy and Privilege Are Not Enuf
The cacophony of celebratory sounds that rang out last week in reaction to Joe Biden’s win was based on a sundry of emotions—ranging from relief at ending a racist regime dominated by white men who were fanatical about protecting their own wealth and privilege to jubilance over a historic win for Kamala Harris, the first woman…
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55 Ways White People Say ‘White People’ Without Actually Saying ‘White People’ (Updated)
1. Americans 2. Real Americans 3. Middle America 4. Working-class Americans 5. Patriots 6. Europeans 7. Southerners 8. Midwesterners 9. Millennials 10. Christians 11. Evangelicals 12. Red-state voters 13. Rust Belt voters 14. Conservatives 15. Republicans 16. Suburbanites 17. Gentrifiers 18. Families 19. Veterans 20. Soccer moms 21. Management 22. Law enforcement 23. Hardworking Americans…
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Every Argument Against Student Debt Forgiveness, Explained (and Dismissed)
What happens to a student loan deferred?Does it dry uplike Donald Trump’s skin?Or draw interest—Do payments ever end? Does it grow into a mountain of debt?Until an unknown numbercalls you up to collect? Maybe it just sagslike a heavy load.Until someone forgives it… And white people explode. For most Americans not named Ivanka and those…