Black Women Outpace Black Men in Military Recruitment

Image via Wikipedia. I'm only adding this picture because I couldn't find any of black women soldiers on the WordPress photo finder widget. Really.

This is a kind of interesting piece from the great New York Times on how black women are outpacing black men (and just about every other group) in military recruitment and enlistment; because they want to go to college and they recognize early on that enlisting will help stagger (if not cover) college tuition, provide training, and job experience that they may not otherwise get in a Depression-era economy rife with institutionalized racism and little prospects of improving any time soon.

Given those obvious circumstances, it doesn’t really answer why there shouldn’t be more black men enlisting, since the odds are more stacked against them finding decent jobs or finishing college than even black women….unless you take into consideration that fewer black men go on to college as black women (which is not my humble widdle opinion but fact) so the selling point of help with college tuition is not as great a factor.

Can’t blame ‘em for thinking ahead.

Here’s a link to the piece:

• http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/us/black-women-enlist-at-higher-rates-in-us-military.html

Related articles:

• Blacks far outpace military’s other female recruits (mysanantonio.com)
• Military Enlistment: Blacks Outpace Other Female Recruits (huffingtonpost.com)
• A Shortage of Eligible Black Men (theroot.com)
• Teaching White Boys to Dance and Other Solutions to the Black Marriage Crisis (crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com)

Should Black Women Walk Away from “Think Like a Man?”

Image via Wikipedia. Steve Harvey displaying his watery blood-shot eyes and giant horse-teeth.

Umm..let me think about this question posed by the folks at Your Black World.com (http://www.yourblackworld.com/2011/12/14/ybw-question-of-the-day-do-you-plan-to-see-the-new-steve-harvey-film/) for about two seconds here.

Okay. Yes.

The question to me is not whether or not women should see this movie.

It’s a shallow question as to whether or not someone wants to see a formula sitcom movie with an attractive cast or if they have something more productive and enlightening to do with their time and/or want to save $15-$20 bucks for something else. The question should be, why is it not okay for women to actually think like, and be, women?

I don’t know Steve Harvey. Never met him. Never went to any of his shows. Saw him on “Kings of Comedy,” but didn’t laugh at his chitlin circuit jokes. Earthquake and Bruce Bruce were funnier in my humble estimation. And at least they were comedians and not trying to peddle themselves as self-help gurus pushing a meaningless and impossible to fulfill slogan on people.

When you tell women to “Think Like a Man,” you are also telling them that they’re not acceptable as they are. It’s not a cute slogan or catch phrase and it’s not funny. If I had a daughter who was told to “think like a man” by someone, I would tell that person to go talk a wandering stroll off a short Jersey pier somewhere. If someone said that to my wife, she’d tell that person to go set up a picnic in a busy intersection.

I have no reason to believe that Steve Harvey is an expert in relationships or marriage any more than the drunk down the hallway. He’s been divorced and re-married like many people these days, which is no big deal. He has an angry ex-wife (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzX2D0yfDUs) and brother (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvzGX1IHdrM), which kind of lead me to feel he must not know how to do that much better than most people from what I can see in terms of results.

“Thinking Like a Man” might have gotten Steve Harvey a bestseller and a movie deal and got him on talk shows he otherwise would never have been on, but it also got him a resentful ex-wife and brother, and some depressing movie reviews (http://jezebel.com/5867730/think-like-a-man-is-everything-that-is-wrong-with-the-world-and-will-make-you-want-to-stab-your-eyeballs-with-a-fork). The whole “Think Like a Man” concept is wrapped up in egotism and sexism; that women are not good enough and have to think like men in order to be happy. It sounds cute when we live in a shallow and materialistic time, but it’s nothing more than a hollow slogan and (to me) a ridiculous demand.

I say let black women think like women and let Steve Harvey go sell his supper club jokes, strip mall clothing line and whatever else he can hustle. Booyah!

Debunking the Single Black Female Myth

Image via Wikipedia. Black woman with cool tattoo on shoulder. Sweet.

Image via Wikipedia of cartoon sixties sista.

According to a (in my humble widdle opinion) lame piece in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel online edition, black women might actually be unhappy and defensive about having to be unmarried more often than not and for longer than other women. Go figure!

In his piece the author states that Ralph Richard Banks‘ book “Is Marriage for White People?” has offended some, while causing others to acknowledge the simple fact that black women aren’t getting married like other women are because they’re being left in the dust statistically.

Of course, the author does not take a stand either way, just states that it can be controversial and a big deal to try to discuss the topic (you think!) and you’d better “tread lightly” lest you offend someone’s tender sensibilities (or inability to face reality).

Here’s a link to the piece discussing the “news” that black women just aint’ getting married in the numbers that other women get married at. Hmmm, I wonder why that could be. Well, we better not have an opinion lest someone not like it.

• http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/debunking-the-single-black-female-myth-di3dog1-135485578.html

Related articles:

• Is It Ever Okay to Tell a Sister to Go Kick Rocks?: Black Women and Friendship (crunkfeministcollective.wordpress.com)
• Awkward Black Girl: Do We Ignore Some “Isms?” (blogher.com)
• Myth-Busting the Black-Marriage ‘Crisis’ (theroot.com)
• A Dumb White Guy’s Even Dumber Advice to Poor Black Kids (jeffwinbush.com)
• Is Marriage For White People (theratedt.com)
• A Good Woman Is Hard to Find (ifiruled2011.wordpress.com)
• The future of marriage: Is it dying or just low sick? (minerva5.wordpress.com)
• The Pimp Chronicles: Black Women Pimpin’ Black Women (Shaunie O’Neal Edition) (urbanbellemag.com)
• Black Women Should Look for Husbands Outside Their Race, Author Says (abcnews.go.com)
• For Profit: Black Women……..A Rant (creativelybrownone.wordpress.com)
• Is Marriage for White People? Ralph Richard Banks on the Black Family (healthland.time.com)
• When “you’re beautiful” is no longer just a compliment (sitakali.org)
• Shades of Love (truthseeker411.com)
• Let’s leave black single women alone (thegrio.com)
• Is marriage for white people? (salon.com)
• “All the single ladies” Review of THAT article (thisismysoapbox.wordpress.com)
• Breaking Down the Asian Man Myths (lifebehindthewall.wordpress.com)
• Is Marriage for White People? (thedailybeast.com)
• Are YOU Against Interracial Dating? (mosmalls.wordpress.com)
• Things We Learned On Ladies’ Night (almost30something.com)
• Black Women: The most unmarried group of people in the US (intentious.com)
• Why Black Women Hate Interracial Relationships? (socyberty.com)
• Study Sees Wall Street Pay Tilted Toward White Men (dealbook.nytimes.com)
• Angela Stanley Unpacks Single, Black Female Myths (theroot.com)
• Obesity Less Harmful to Self-Esteem in Black Women (nlm.nih.gov)
• Tracy Ellis Ross: Single Black Women Are Ok (theroot.com)
• Why curvy girls should be proud (thegrio.com)
• Study Shows 60% of Black Females Have Been Sexually Abused By The Time They Turn 18 (dreblacksofresh.com)
• Black Women and Domestic Violence (ssofdv.wordpress.com)
• WATCH: Chicago Radio Host: Black Women On TV Are ‘Downright Embarrassing’ (huffingtonpost.com)
• The Interracial Dating Book for Black Women Who Want to Date White Men (datingrulez.com)

Black Women’s Roundtable National Empowerment Tour Makes Final Stop in Georgia Before National Summit in D.C.

Image via Wikipedia. Don't know who this lovely sister is, but you have to admire that wig.

We’re just providing a little bit of (perhaps outdated) news here, to let readers know some of the positive and encouraging things many beautiful and intelligent black women are out there doing to make our society a better place to live and (try to) prosper.

This is a nice article from the reporters at PR Newswire, about black womens’ dedication to civic participation and where this one particular group is heading both in terms of their efforts and geographically in terms of where they’re visiting:

• http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/black-womens-roundtable-national-empowerment-tour-makes-final-stop-in-georgia-before-national-summit-in-dc-132939868.html

Related articles:

• For Profit: Black Women……..A Rant (finneyisms.wordpress.com)
• Participants Needed: Interracial Relationships Study (interrace.wordpress.com)
• The Way We Were (afrodoll.wordpress.com)
• Who Are The Black Women Occupying Wall Street? (hellobeautiful.com)
• Wale Covers ‘Rolling Out’, Talks Black Women, His “Ambition” Album (hiphopwired.com)
• Yoga not such a stretch for many black women (thegrio.com)
• One More Time: ‘Is Marriage for White People?’ (theroot.com)
• What Had You Talking This Week (bellasugar.com)
• Zimbabwe: What Does Women’s Empowerment Mean to You? (one365.org)
• Mignon R. Moore: Color Us Invisible: In the Shadows of Communities Black and Gay, Black Lesbians Forge Lives, Loves, And Family (huffingtonpost.com)
• Black Women Excel and Succeed Despite a Slew of Unfairly Negative News Stories (prweb.com)
• Senate Committee on Indian Affairs Holds Roundtable Listening Session (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• Campbell Fellowship For Research on Women’s Empowerment in The Third World (genderbyteslinks.wordpress.com)
• U.S. Office of Indian Energy Holding Roundtable Discussions (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• “Making Dollars and Sense”: First Women in Business Economic Empowerment Summit in NYC (prweb.com)
• Optimum Launches the “Less Talk, More Action Empowerment Tour” (yourblackpolitics.wordpress.com)
• Senator Gillibrand Talks About Economic Empowerment Of Women (lezgetreal.com)
• Oglala Sioux Partners with Black Hills Resort Owner on High-End Tour (indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com)
• Report: Financing Women’s Movements, a Significant Issue for Women’s Empowerment (one365.org)
• ICRW Produces Report For Design, Implementation, and Metrics Development for Economic Empowerment Programs for Women (one365.org)