Real Housewives of Atlanta Visit South Africa

I would be the world's biggest liar if I said I didn't enjoy watching Bravo's highest rated reality TV show "Real Housewives of Atlanta." Seriously, this show never fails at having me laugh either at the silly women (which half of them are not married so I don't know what qualified them as housewives) or the downward spiral of the production value per season.

Anyway, I'm not really going to go into a full fledged analysis of the show (plenty of fan blogs do that rather well already and with Nene Leakes's celebrity status growing, the analyses will not cease anytime soon), but I would like to delve into the most recent episode when the women minus Kim Zolciak plus Marlo Hampton began their ten day excursion in South Africa (or Africa, as they incessantly address as if South Africa represents the ENTIRE continent of 53 countries and 3,000 languages). This excursion is good for African-Americans who have never been outside of the United States before and more so because it's a visit to an African nation. It shows that despite the stories of poverty and disease that seem to almost always come out of Africa (despite this being only one sided) there's also a lot of wealth and prosperity. I stated a while back the value of going abroad, no matter where it is, and the best part is one of the best ways to be educated about the world around you and to better understand your own culture. But this trip for the housewives was not for education - this was for laughs and "good TV."

What's vexes me more than the fact that some of these women are ignorant (Nene) or pretentious (Phaedra) is who REALLY arranged this - and I am sure that Phaedra only brought up the idea, even if she did. All this modern day buffoonery falls into the hands of their executive producer, Vice President of Bravo, Andy Cohen. He probably didn't say "Let's put these animals in their natural habitat" but, like they say, actions speak louder than words.

All the fans know that these women have had a lot of tension since the middle of the previous season and more tension was piled on with the arrival of the guest housewife (who'll probably replace Kim), Marlo. There was bound to be a fight somewhere (and as many are learning about reality TV, producers tend to orchestrate how things will progress) and the animalistic mudslinging between Marlo and Sheree, heightened with strange and eerily exotic noises, is probably just a small glimpse of what is bound to happen next.

We're entering Black History Month and what we have to show for black people again perpetuate black caricatures. This time, they are that of the 21st century. But like in the past, a white man has capitalized on exploiting black caricatures and all Americans have accepted it as okay. And I do not care that Andy Cohen is gay and Jewish. Being a minority in the US and capitalizing on the caricature of another minority does not make it excusable. This episode clearly was an example modern day blackface.

Am I going to keep watching this show. Of course. Should I? Yes. Any medium is worth reading, watching or hearing because it's someone else's viewpoint, even if you disagree with it. In fact, if you do disagree with it, then you have more information to back up your own opinion. Being well informed is the key to success in an ever-shrinking global world. Plus, there's something oddly refreshing about mindless TV after a thought provoking work week.

The Gift of Sight in Namibia

Not too many people know much about this coastal south African country, a former protectorate of South Africa. It's one of the world's least dense countries and also has one of the highest rates of blindness by cataracts. A former fashion designer now Dr. Helen Ndume, noticed this dilemma and has worked tirelessly for those who once blind, to now see.



This story says a lot about an African nation, which are traditionally believed by the West as places that can't help themselves. Even despite the assistance that Dr. Ndume is receiving from NGOs, she was the one who conceived the idea and brought it to reality.

I feel any person that finds themselves needing to "help Africa" should first look at how Africans are helping themselves. Despite some of the hardships that fall upon some African nations, I have noticed that generally Africans are creative. For example, I remember reading about two men in Kenya who found a way to use their bicycles to charge their phones. A man in Nigeria found a way to solve the electric grid problem and the sanitation problem in Lagos - simultaneously. In fact, some argue that Westerners should even look at Africa for innovation.

All in all, Africans have been helping themselves for hundreds of years. even though many Western media group portray Africa as "desperate." I think many of us forget that the one of the world's first great civilizations was in Africa. Also, something that many around the world start their day with - coffee - is from Africa (Ethiopia, more specifically), too. I'll save my list of innovations from Africa for another blog post.

"Your cookie is free, black lady"

Coming into work and finding stuff to blog about has always been interesting. Now I have yet to comment about last week's sanctioned murder of Troy Davis, but this other issue definitely has my stomach growling (but not with hunger).

Yesterday, a college bake sale at University of California at Berkley made headlines across the great USA. Not because the cupcakes could compete with Chicago's famed cupcake store, Molly's Cupcakes (my favorite place to indulge in Chi-Town), but because all of the baked goods were priced based on the customer's race and gender. The highest price were for white males and the lowest were for black females. All other racial groups were somewhere in between and all women got a discount.Crazy, huh? Well, guess what student organization was behind this? The College Republicans (not a surprise). Their point: to show the affects of affirmative action.



I don't know how many times the purpose of affirmative action must be explained, but let's be real. I thought we all knew that affirmative action is in place because historically (and still currently) groups other than white males are frequently discriminated against. Affirmative action is in place to help those in marginalized groups (women, Blacks, Latinos, Asians) cross the divide to ensure a fair chance at an education. It does not mean that those within these groups get it easy but it means that they have to work just as hard as their white male applicants to get in instead of TWICE (or more) as hard.

More bothersome about this bake sale was not the bake sale itself, but the fact that among those who planned it were Asian and Latino. Simply put, they wouldn't have been able to JOIN any college organization because some of them may not have even been accepted if it wasn't for affirmative action. And all because you may be seen as superior to black folk does make you equal to white men.

I don't know if I have said this before or not, but I strongly believe those who have not come from generations of societal (and many cases, legal) disenfranchisement don't (or refuse to) understand why several of these laws have been created - to prevent history from repeating itself and to program those of who come from generations of bigotry to understand what their generations of the past have done and what they are doing now is disruptive to a productive, "post-racist" and culturally relative modern society. If you're a white man and you don't understand why that white woman, who attended a school equal in calibur to yours, scored exactly the same as you did on the ACT and the SAT, got in over you, let me break it down. She got in because YOU have a better opportunity to get into any school of your choice because no one will turn you down because of your race or gender. That white woman could be turned be turned down from several schools simply because of her gender, even in today's society. Why do you think Hilary Clinton is not president today, despite the fact that she's more qualified than Barack Obama? America is still conditioned to think that men are more capable than women, regardless of race.

All in all, I think the discounts are well deserved. Based on data collected by the National Committee of Pay Equity, white men earn the most out of everyone else.

Miss Universe 2011 Hails From Angola

Sorry, this is late, but I must put it out there: It's great that this Miss Universe is a dark and lovely Angolan! Despite how utterly shallow the Miss Universe pageant is, I think it always seems to bring interesting discourse in regard to beauty. I could go into the many aspects of beauty, but today, I'll focus on one.

I don't know if this pageant marks the acceptance of black is beautiful, but at least this year it kind of sends that message. I remember watching clips from an upcoming documentary titled Dark Girls, which focused on the beauty politics among black females and the standards they feel they need to live up to not only in the greater American society, but also within the African-American community. I think many women struggles to attain the social construct of beauty, and I think what carried Leila Lopes of Angola to where she is now is not necessarily her looks, but how she views herself.

Having the confidence that you look beautiful I think is something people can see, even beyond "imperfections." In essence, what has been said a thousand times already, beauty is skin deep and it really depends on how you see yourself to portray beauty.

World's Most Power Black Women (STUNNED Who Made The List)

Today I checked out Forbes' list of the world's most power black women. I was not surprised to see that Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey or Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's Finance Minister made the list. I was shocked, in fact floored, that recently announced pregnant Beyonce Knowles was on the list. Even more shocking (even though I am unsure that this list is a ranking), Beyonce was listed second to Mrs. Obama.

This is the first time I have disagreed with Forbes on a listing. Beyonce does not control a media empire. She does not do anything that could change the lives of millions. Her clothing line is like Juicy Couture, high quality and low taste, so she's not influential in the fashion world. Maybe she's influential in the music world, but that is where it ends. I am highly disappointed that in a league of black women who seriously make a difference in people's lives, an entertainer, with a small philanthropic resume, is included. Maybe when shaking that ass becomes paramount in feeding the hungry in the Horn of Africa and other parts of the world, then maybe would I agree with this list.