So white they're clear

Zaheer Ali, in Are Poor White Kids Invisible?, talks about the pathologizing and marginalization effects of treating poverty as a proxy for race — "disadvantaged," etc.

If only it was Tim and Eric…

I used to live in this district, and while Hahn's a machine hack who won based on her family's legacy, it's good to remember every now and then that the folks running against her actually believe this shit.

Luckily, there's a gif for that:

This is what turning right means. It means that Craig Huey's supported by some pretty reprehensible motherfuckers, and he's yet to speak out on the ad.

While pundi-bloggers are quickly calling this "The Most Offensive Political Ad Ever", that undersells the assholes of the past.

The queering of Malcolm X

A new biography sheds light on the complicated sexuality of one of America's most notable black leaders.

Tea party? Racist? Where'd you get that idea?

I mean, aside from the constant mantra of racism throughout. I do appreciate that he separates "blacks" from "nigras" though. Would a racist do that?

Link dump: Impartiality, the N word, batting averages

Truth-out nails Wisconsin supreme court justice Prosser and his partisan dealings.

People who said "nigger" today. They all look pretty much like you'd guess.

Offense is down across baseball. New pitcher's era?

Charles Murray has always been racist

It's important to remember any time this Bell Curve bullshitter starts getting positive, or even neutral, press, that he was a cross-burner, but provides the fig leaf for other racists by averring that he had no racial animus when he did it.

Zombies bring out the stereotypes

Angry Asian Man examines post-apocalyptic racial politics.

Bonus: What about the Black Skins?, an essay on racism and retconning.

Not all sprawl is equal.

Behind the African-American exodus of Detroit.

In a post about The Game, can there not be a 50 Cent reference?

Nitsuh Abebe writes on Jessica Hopper writing on Nitsuh Abebe writing on Jessica Hopper writing on Vampire Weekend

I like Abebe, generally dislike Hopper, and couldn't care less about Vampire Weekend. I am interested in identity politics in pop music, and the question of whiteness that Abebe writes on is pretty compelling. As someone prone to toss around the phrase "white" to mean bourgie, I feel like I should take a swing at some of the nuance I think Abebe misses there.

First off, it's worth noting that Abebe handily skips over the question of whether being bourgie is worth criticizing, if that's the central complaint of "whiteness." And, frankly, it is. Abebe's point that it's bourgeois to criticize the bourgeois (therefore implicitly hypocritical) is fair, but that doesn't mean that the criticism is wrong.

Second, and I think Abebe misses this fully, there's more to the charge of "white" than "bourgeois." It might be handy for Abebe to think about it as French—calling something "blanc," blank, loses some of the most obvious race and class baggage (which is only really tedious because most college educated folks learned it early) and replaces it with what's a common complaint about his e.g. Vampire Weekend, that they're bland.

Their blandness is on track with most other indie blandness, with facile, cheery, clever lyrics, and perfunctory "outside" influence. Vampire Weekend's was afropop by way of Paul Simon's "Graceland." It might just as well have been cellos or ukuleles.

Now, I totally grant that "bland" is a subjective judgment and that a lot of people like Vampire Weekend a lot and that I only downloaded their first album when it came out, listened a couple times, then deleted it (the system works!). But not every smug crack about "whiteness" is unjustified or playing The Game (which Abebe seems to not realize is Nomic). But no one gives a shit when I complain about Coldplay being overhyped, bland, and yes, white.