Hot Garbage Report

Well - this is the first entry of my Hot Garbage Report. To be considered worthy of a Hot Garbage post, your behavior must be inexcusable, trifling, beyond sympathy, and just plain ol' ratched. Without further ado, my first report is devoted to: actor Richard T. Jones! Yes, the same Richard T. Jones of the Why Did I Get Married movies, and who has a pretty impressive TV and movie filmography. He was tapped to be the commencement speaker at UMUC (University of Maryland University College). When presented with this honor, it would have benefited him to be well-prepared, including, maybe, having something to say. Or at least gibbadamn. Just watch:

When I first saw this on Media Strut, I thought: it cannot be that bad. Perhaps he might have stuttered or had a microphone malfunction. No - he didn't even try to have anything relevant or worthy to say. As I watched this, my heart sunk for the graduates and their relatives and friends who attended this ceremony. I think that if you spent time, money, and brain power working hard to get your degree, the least a speaker could do is be prepared to give you words of wisdom, or even some encouragement and good feelings to take with you.

Nah - that was too hard. He could have phoned it in and it would not have been worse. Heck...I am quite sure if he asked, he could have had somebody write him a decent speech that would have allowed him to keep face and keep from embarrassing the UMUC faculty, staff, and students.

This is not a good look, and you really cannot un-ring this bell. Mr. Jones owes the school and the graduation attendees a serious apology. He could contact me and I could write one for him real cheap. I mean...wow.

Does Richard T. Jones owe UMUC an apology? Have you witnessed an embarrassing speech or had an event get screwed up because somebody wasn't prepared? Is this an example of how we have GOT to do better?

Makes Me Wanna HOLLA!!!!

Is it me, or are Black women coming under attack from everybody? When I say everybody I mean everybody. It seemed that all last year, every media outlet had some study on Black women. I mean, really:

• Why are so many Black women single?
• Why do so many Black women have bad attitudes?
• Why are so many Black women overweight?
• Why are Black women more educated than Black men?
• Why are there more Black single mothers than anyone else?
• Why are Black women having fewer children?
• Why are Black women's wombs so dangerous?

Even CNN had Black women on blast using their representative of Black women, Soledad O'Brien, to host the series of shows meant to spotlight us and help us solve our collective problems ::rolling my eyes HARD!:: Guess what? We are still single, getting educated, having or not having babies, and living life like it's golden. So what happens next?

                                    This guy right here - the authority on all that is attractive

Yep. Satoshi Kanazawa. He wrote an article for Psychology Today that showed his study of the attractiveness of women. He concluded through his exhaustive, totally scientific, and relevant study that Black women are the least attractive of all women. I know, I know. He is a sexy specimen of a man - he has a beauty mark on his cheek and everything! And it seems we are the least attractive because we have an over-abundance of testosterone coursing through our veins. Hm - so perhaps if this is his theory, then the least attractive men would be those lacking in testosterone (see above picture). Regardless, his article has been de-bunked, torn up, and is disregarded by anyone who is a real researcher. So - dismissed.

So, while driving home, I was listening to Michael Baisden. I enjoy stimulating conversation and provocative topics like everyone else, so why do I think Michael deserves a head thump? His topic today - why White women are winning at getting married. Yes - you read that correctly. He says that with all the gorgeous, beautiful, and classy Black women around, why can't we get men to marry us? >blink< He goes on to say White women seem to have no problem finding husbands - perhaps they have more positive examples of marital role models. Or their horizons are greater because White women are more open to dating and marrying outside their race. What the ...? I tried to call in, but to no avail. So I am taking to this blog to let Mr. Baisden know how I feel about his choice of topics today.

                                                             Hey Boo!

Michael -

I can call you Michael, right? What was the inspiration behind your choice of topics today? Did you even think about your timing? After all, not too long ago, we (Black women) were targeted by the Right to Life movement for endangering our unborn, and having treacherous wombs. Then Mr. Kanazawa decided to publish his insulting and ridiculous article. Now - we can't get some man to marry us. Yep - we cannot get men to marry us. Tragedy, really. You kinda gloss over the fact that men are not trying to get married. THAT should have been the topic. And really - comparing us to White women? Wow. Why? And about that marriage thing, where did you get your statistics? What demographics were used in this study? Just as there are a variety of Black women, we are across many demographics. Were we evenly represented across urban, rural, and suburban lines? Did the study talk to women in the military, or in school, or even in careers that need a lot of time and sacrifice? And...this is important to me...by getting someone to marry you, are you counting the ones that stayed married to the original spouse? Or are you counting the ones that married young and many times? Is that what you call "winning"? What about those of us marrying later in life and staying married? I am shaking my head at you, Mr. Baisden.

There are more questions, but I want to leave you with this, Mike (oh and hey George!): women listen to you and support you. But it seems in your need to have provocative topic material for your show and get tons of callers, you just piled on us with the rest of the folks who do not seem to be feeling us. This does not affect my opinion of myself, or the beautiful and wonderful Sisters I have the privilege to know. If you are really feeling us, Mike, as Brownstone would say - show it...prove it...do it. Oh, and to Mr. Kanazawa, in the immortal words of Rick James (as spoken by Dave Chappelle): F*&^ you and f*&^ yo' couch!

Hey - am I being too sensitive, or have you been fed up as well? What are your thoughts on this apparent pile-on of Black women? Do you still strut your stuff, regardless of the negative press and lop-sided studies? What say y'all?