Is it necessary to show one burning building on a non-stop loop for ratings? This was the question that countless people asked on social media this week and was echoed by President Obama during his press conference with the Prime Minster of Japan following the unrest in Baltimore.
The President said, "This has been a slow-rolling crisis," he said. "This is not new... we, as a country, have to do some soul searching." Indeed.
Not to be left out, presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton also shared her thoughts on Baltimore while speaking at Columbia University this week. This was HRC’s first major speech since announcing her candidacy and it’s telling that she chose to address Baltimore. “There is something profoundly wrong when African-American men are still far more likely to be stopped and searched by police, charged with crimes and sentenced to longer prison terms than are meted out to their white counterparts,” Clinton said.
Pop Off of the Week: Jussie Smollett vs. “The Donald”: Following the funeral of Freddie Gray, protestors took to the streets with a select few choosing to loot and vandalize local stores. Never one to miss out on an opportunity to paint all black people with a broad brush and insert his nose where it DOES NOT belong—Donald Trump took to twitter to blame President Obama for the protests in Baltimore.
In response to these “dog whistle” tweets about “thugs” and our “great African American President,” Jussie decided to take Donald to task.
Then “The Donald” tried to fix his Twitter tirade, but Jussie wasn’t having any of it.
Note to celebrities, oh and “The Donald”—think BEFORE you tweet or better yet don’t tweet at all.
Poliwood Round-Up: Trending Topics in the #BlackTwitterverse This Week
Trend of the Week: #BaltimoreUprising: What’s the difference between revolutionaries and rioters—a matter of perspective and privilege.
THREE: DuVernay the Barbie: Forget an Oscar—Director Ava DuVernay is still having the BEST year ever. Not only is her film ‘Selma’ going to be shown in classrooms across this country, but the toy company Mattel has seen fit to memorialize the brilliant director with her very own Barbie. DuVernay’s mini me, is rocking the director’s signature tresses and sitting in a directors chair. Now, I have never been one for Barbie’s, but this is a doll I can certainly get down with.
TWO: Anger Translator for Hire: Over the weekend Washington correspondents and the glitterati gathered for their annual #NerdProm. An event where celebrities and journalists sit quietly and politely laugh as the President insults them. President Obama pulled out all the stops for his jokes that night even going so far as to hire an anger translator. The media has lamented over the years that the President is “too cool”, “aloof” and “unbothered”. So, President Obama decided to give them a little insight into what he really thinks, and it was HILARIOUS!
ONE: BeyGOOD: Beyoncé and Jay-Z have often been criticized for not “doing enough” to speak out on important issues effecting the black community—namely the #BlackLivesMatter movement. In an event to change that tune, Queen Bey has taken to Instagram to break her silence on the issue and use her brand to help the NAACP and their efforts to support folks in Baltimore. However, no good deed goes unpunished. While many of her fans celebrated her efforts others condemned them, but as she sings, those haters can go, “to the left, to the left”.
