Race and Racism

Not another weak celebrity apology: This hollow public ritual desperately needs an overhaul

Feb 3, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Gender and Sexism, mic, Race and Racism, Scandals

Published: Salon (February 3, 2016) When Shia LaBeouf was caught plagiarizing another artist, he launched a performance art piece called #IAmSorry as a statement on the ritual of celebrity apologies. Although his particular offense had nothing to do with bigotry, he could have just as easily been ridiculing the familiar formula that seems to have emerged when celebrities are caught in scandals...

Marvel’s Trump agenda: Maybe it’s no accident that fans have to push for equality and diversity at every turn

Jan 29, 2016 | Arts and Entertainment, Gender and Sexism, mic, Race and Racism

Published: Salon (January 29, 2016) How should progressives respond to the recent news that Marvel Comics CEO Ike Perlmutter donated over $1 million to a Donald Trump event intended to draw viewers away from the Republican presidential debate? As a start, they should remember these words of wisdom from one of Marvel’s most iconic superhero franchises: “With great power comes great...

My Unpronounceable Hungarian Last Name

Jan 15, 2016 | Autobiographical, mic, Race and Racism

Published: The Good Men Project (January 14, 2016) Let me tell you something about my last name. Even though it’s spelled “Rozsa,” it is pronounced ‘Roja.’ Being Hungarian, the ‘zs’ is pronounced in the same way that one would articulate an ‘s’ in ‘pleasure’ or ‘leisure,’ not as a ‘z’ in ‘zebra’ or ‘s’ in ‘hose,’ such as English would lead you to believe. For the first thirty years of my life,...

Kim Davis, Donald Trump, and the Maddening Paradox of Ignoring the Obnoxious

Jan 15, 2016 | Conservativism, Elections - Presidential (2016), Extremism, Gay Rights and Other LGBTQIA Issues, Media Issues, mic, Political Ideologies, Race and Racism

Published: The Good Men Project (January 12, 2016) The Internet is understandably indignant that Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to issue same-sex marriage licenses, has been invited to appear at President Obama's State of the Union. Insofar as they are outraged at this doffing of a symbolic hat to a walking symbol of homophobia, they are absolutely correct. At...

One year after the Charlie Hebdo attack, we are still #JeSuisCharlie

Jan 6, 2016 | Civil Liberties, mic, Race and Racism, Terrorism

Published: The Daily Dot (January 6, 2016) January 7th marks the first anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo shootings in Paris that left 12 dead and 11 wounded. As we reflect on the greater meaning of the tragedy that occurred that day, a series of complex lessons present themselves, encompassing many of the most crucial issues facing the United States today—from the importance of defending free...

The Comedy in White Supremacy

Jan 2, 2016 | Internet Culture, mic, Race and Racism, Satirical Essays

Published: The Good Men Project (January 2, 2016) It's one thing to explain why modern white supremacists are funny (something I've already done several times), but it's quite another to actually illustrate how this can be the case. Fortunately, a good friend of mine recently received an anonymous message from an Internet stalker which allows me to do precisely that. This troll, you see, was...

5 reasons why 2015 was the year of the social justice warrior

Dec 31, 2015 | Elections - Presidential (2016), Gay Rights and Other LGBTQIA Issues, Gender and Sexism, mic, Race and Racism

Published: Salon (December 31, 2015), The Daily Dot (December 26, 2015) Although the term “social justice warrior” was constructed as an insult against progressive activists, the year 2015 has amply demonstrated why liberals should embrace the term. Social justice issues dominated the year, from race to sexual identity and beyond. Here are five ways the United States grappled with with social...

Why do Jews eat Chinese food on Christmas?

Dec 24, 2015 | Holiday Season, Jewish Experiences, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues, Satirical Essays

Published: The Good Men Project (December 24, 2015) Much to my horror, I discovered earlier today that my favorite local Chinese restaurant isn't open on Christmas Eve. This may not seem like a big deal - heck, you could even say that I'm a bit of a scrooge for faulting the establishment - but it's important to remember that, as an American Jew, being denied Chinese food on this holiday is a bit...

Democratic candidates blast Trump’s Muslim ban at debate

Dec 20, 2015 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Immigration, mic, Political Parties, Race and Racism, Religion and Religious Issues

Published: MSNBC (December 20, 2015) Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley were unified on one topic during the last Democratic presidential debate of the year Saturday night: The toxicity of Donald Trump’s proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Each candidate seized on the opportunity to decry racial and religious bigotry — and encouraged the rest of America...

Why We Should Laugh at Trump’s Nazis

Dec 15, 2015 | Elections - Presidential (2016), Extremism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Race and Racism, Republicans

Published: The Good Men Project (December 15, 2015) During a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas earlier today, a Trump supporter shouted "Sieg heil!" as a black protester was physically ejected from a room where the candidate was speaking. Unsurprisingly, this incident has taken social media by storm, if for no other reason than it reinforces the widespread belief that Trump is a latter-day Nazi....

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