Michael Arceneaux, EBONY.com contributor and Master of Shade, calls out five of his biggest gripes from the past week. Rejoice and be read. Follow Michael @youngsinick.
1. This Is Not The “War On Christmas,” White People: A White man walks into a historically Black church, sits there for an hour as parishioners partake in Bible Study, and suddenly, launches into a mass shooting that results in the death of nine people. The optics alone suggest that this was an attack motivated by racism, but mere hours after Dylann Roof’s terrorist act, we learn certain more facts — namely that he allegedly said before the shooting (as explained by Sylvia Johnson, Pastor Clementa Pinckney’s cousin, recounting what survivors told her), “I have to do it. He said, ‘You rape our women, and you’re taking over our country.'”

This is classic language espoused by White racists, so there it is: this is racism and easy access to gun culture rearing its head on the lives of innocent Black people once again.

And yet, when asked about racism – and in particular whether or not this is a hate crime or mental illness – you have the likes of Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham fix his mouth to say on national television, “Probably both. There are real people out there that are organized to kill people in religion and based on race. This guy is just whacked out. But it’s 2015, there are people out there looking for Christians to kill them. This is a mean time we live in.”

This sentiment was also echoed on that pile of idiocy known as the Fox News morning show, Fox & Friends. I would like to personally direct these people into the abyss. Head first, preferably. There is no war on Christians in America, but there is sure is a longstanding American tradition of racially motivated attacks on Black Americans – including in churches. If a Republican senator or a conservative news network can both benefit from racism, the least each can do is acknowledge racism WHEN IT IS SO DAMN BLATANT.

2. Dylann Roof’s Roommate Is A Complete Waste Of Space: Dylann Roof’s roommate, Dalton Tyler has spoken to reporters and in only a few sentences has managed to prove himself to be one of the worst people alive. Per ABC News, Tyler said Roof had been “planning something like that for six months.”

But he didn’t say anything.

Tyler went on to add, “He was big into segregation and other stuff. He said he wanted to start a civil war. He said he was going to do something like that and then kill himself.”

But he didn’t say anything. His tongue should fall out of his mouth in protest.

Meanwhile, a woman spotted Roof and thought she was unsure, called the police anyway. Why? “What if that really was him?” she explains. “I have friends going to the mountains this weekend, so if it that was him and something would happen again, what would I do? It kept eating at me and something told me to keep following him.”

3. Good Luck With Unemployment, Young Bigot: You morons out there are going to learn not to be blatantly racist on public platforms when people can see not only your faces, but your government names. Or in Hyley DiBona’s case, her face, her full name, and her nametag at Regal Cinema.

In response to the Emanuel A.M.E. church shooting and the righteous anger it spurred, this nitwit DiBona tweeted, “Don’t complain about being a minority and say whites are a problem when your ancestors chose to come here knowing they would be a minority.” Well, there’s American education in a nutshell. In any event, she carried on and with more attention came the repercussions: folks reported her directly to her reporter.

The end result:

 

HA HA, RACIST.

4. Do Better By Black Women: I’m not mentioning fake ass Freddie Brooks by name anymore, but I will say as a Black man, I don’t understand how any Black man could offer even a half-assed defense of her. This is not limited to Black women (some Black women have been equally awful) and does not speak to the majority of Black women. However, enough Black men have on social media, and in particular, widely read publications, to the point where it is embarrassing as it is disheartening.

Black women do so much, especially when it comes to lifting Black men in peril. To see so many Black men rally behind an imposter of Black women and Black womanhood is disheartening if not infuriating. No matter the reason because there is not a single one good enough. It’s Black women often doing much of the legwork for us collectively. We owe them better.

And let’s not kid ourselves: there is no way in hell this many Black men would be penning pieces in support of a white man claiming to know the Black male experience because he rocked a wave cap and possessed a vivid imagination about his background. If you are ignoring the feelings of Black women right now, you’re no better than the people you’re usually criticizing for a check.

5. The Ren and Stimpy Of Rap & R&B: Tyga and Chris Brown just dropped a video for a single called “Bitches and Marijuana.” Chris Brown recently complained on tour about gold-digging women in light of his current issues with child support. Chris Brown, who constantly references his wealth and love of casual sex, seems surprised that he ended up in his current situation. Then there is Tyga, the guy who is dating a minor. All that said, a misogynist and a child dater just dropped a video for a single called “Bitches and Marijuana.” When are we going to get these jackasses out the paint already?