Ciara's 'Ride' video: Banned by BET?

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Among Friends, Is it Okay?

Do you refer to yourself as a "ho," or "trick," or worse?
Now, of course not, is what you'll say. But how about when you're with your girls? Do the usual standards of decency relax or is the debate over words just a facade?
Can black people "flip" meanings of words and as a result promote them outwardly as a "term of endearment"?
How do you feel about that?
Do you listen to music that trumpets these words as descriptions for black women? If so, you. are. part. of. the. problem.
I know, I know, you have a right, freedom of speech, perogative: All true, but shouldn't your freedom to swing a bat end at somebody else's nose? If so, then your saying these words should end with their ears, right?
Hurtful words have been supposedly banished and 'buried' only to come back more vicious and more powerful when it has a good beat or big storyline.
Are you and your girlfriends just bad b--tches? How do you feel about that?

When you were a kid, what color was your doll?

If you were born in the 1970s, it's a good chance you played with dolls -- all toys -- that were white, and designed for white children (this pic is from 1970 NYC).
That's not an inherently bad thing, but it does bring to mind what kind of aspirations you had as a kid, how you saw yourself, yes, self-esteem.
Could it be that the role-play you immersed yourself in plays a role in your life today? Could it help explain your choice in friends, your choice in friends? Could it have caused you to overcompensate even? If so, what does it say about today's children? A bunch of interesting questions here.

Indian school bans jeans 'to protect women'

The venerable Associated Press is reporting that a university in India is banning jeans so that apparent sexual harrassment of girls - and distractions - can cease.
The story quotes a school official as saying: "Girls who choose to wear jeans will be expelled from the college," Meeta Jamal, principal of the Dayanand girls' college in Kanpur city told AFP. "This is the only way to stop crime against women."
Evidently Hindu extremist groups have been Taliban-like in their public attacks on people who show any affinity to Western styles of grooming.
Their have been incidences where stars like Beyonce and Rihanna have been told to cover up or don't sing certain songs in certain countries.
All this means that those people certainly think the average American hood or mall is full of straight-up whores, "infidels" who crave sex and pop pills constantly searching for a good time.
Wait - what?

Is this Video Racist?

The beginning segment of a tearful black woman ("they don't want me") is absolutely tear-jerking. As far as the rest of this mess, is it true?

Is Humiliation Sexy?

Something strange is happening with popular culture.
More and more images and references to mildly degrading behavior is gaining traction in our society.
Instead of the innocent displays of love that we once used to look forward to in human relationships, more and more people are becoming preoccupied with "dogging" it.
Are we all becoming deviants?

Now, BeBe? WTF

With the stunning revelations that gospel singer BeBe Winans was arrested on domestic assault, one has to wonder WTF is happening?
Is there something in the water?
People are putting their hands on black women in heinous ways these days.
BeBe, 46, was arrested Wednesday for allegedly pushing his ex-wife to the ground during a "verbal altercation" over "custody issues dealing with their children."
ex-wife Debra’s Nashville home, where he had gone to pick up his children.
The news follows recent domestic violence issues involving Rihanna and Chris Brown, and a shocking videotape last month of police officers attacking a 15-year-old black girl in a jail cell.
This follows popular retailer Amazon selling a rape game online (which they've since pulled).
But what's going on, seriously? Now that the sharks are in the water capitalizing on the recent spate of domestic violence, where are we going with all this? When did communication between man and woman get to the point where one wants to physically hurt the other person?