Thursday, July 22, 2010

Bsi 2,057.12 +21.59 +1.05%

Maybe this week we've been missing the forest for the trees -- although the administration and NAACP reaction to the Shirley Sherrod thing is still bumming us out -- one thing's for sure... BHO is getting shit done.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Bsi 2,035.53 0.0 0.0

The Index takes a pause as in the past few days discourse on race in this country has gotten so out of control that everyone needs to take a step back.

America may have elected a black president, but we think the argument can be made that we're still not ready for one. At least by judging the vitriol on the right and their victim mentality that's looking for "reverse racism" in any form. Their kind of gotcha politics thrusts someone like Shirley Sherrod forth to be a sacrificial lamb -- red meat -- in a ridiculous effort to either drive web traffic, headlines or worse... policy. It's sickening.

But the left isn't blameless either. The NAACP essentially said "how high" to Andrew Breitbart's "jump", condemning Sherrod before getting all the facts. And then there's the Obama administration. Whether or not they're involved in this there's the appearance that they are. They need to get their house in order -- now.

Nobody's looking good in all this -- except for perhaps The Atlantic's Ta-Nehisi Coates, who once again breaks it down just right.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Bsi 2,035.53 -7.61 -.37%

It's not a good sign if the White House is so afraid of racial bogey men that they need to intervene in a controversy involving the USDA rural development director for Georgia. It's the job of the White House, liberal and conservative media and the NAACP not to make kneejerk reactions just because a story may or may not involve race.

You don't need this shit right now, man... c'mon!

BUY

Bettye Swan

SELL

Oakland Street Fights

Damn Oakland. Just... damn.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Bsi 2,043.14 +8.88 +.43%

Okay, okay... there was something good that came out of the whole Tea Party-NAACP broohaha its that one of their public faces, Mark Wilson, came out as neither comedy writer nor critical thinker.

Dear Mr. Lincoln

We Colored People have taken a vote and decided that we don't cotton to that whole emancipation thing. Freedom means having to work for real, think for ourselves, and take consequences along with the rewards. That is just far too much to ask of us Colored People and we demand that it stop!

In fact we held a big meeting and took a vote in Kansas City this week. We voted to condemn a political revival of that old abolitionist spirit called the 'tea party movement'.

The tea party position to "end the bailouts" for example is just silly. Bailouts are just big money welfare and isn't that what we want all Coloreds to strive for? What kind of racist would want to end big money welfare? What they need to do is start handing the bail outs directly to us coloreds! Of course, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is the only responsible party that should be granted the right to disperse the funds.

And the ridiculous idea of "reduce[ing] the size and intrusiveness of government." What kind of massa would ever not want to control my life? As Coloreds we must have somebody care for us otherwise we would be on our own, have to think for ourselves and make decisions!

The racist tea parties also demand that the government "stop the out of control spending." Again, they directly target Colored People. That means we Colored People would have to compete for jobs like everybody else and that is just not right.

Perhaps the most racist point of all in the tea parties is their demand that government "stop raising our taxes." That is outrageous! How will we Colored People ever get a wide screen TV in every room if non-coloreds get to keep what they earn? Totally racist! The tea party expects coloreds to be productive members of society?

Mr. Lincoln, you were the greatest racist ever. We had a great gig. Three squares, room and board, all our decisions made by the massa in the house. Please repeal the 13th and 14th Amendments and let us get back to where we belong.

Sincerely

Precious Ben Jealous, Tom's Nephew National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Head Colored Person.

Wow.

Ha ha very funny mother fucker.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Bsi 2,034.26 +6.72 +.33%

Noting makes the Glen Beck's of the world happier than black boogeymen. Take, for instance, the curious case of the Fox News obsession with the New Black Panthers. Would they care about this "story" if it didn't advance their narrative that Barack Obama gives preference to blacks over whites? Yeah, we thought not, too.

The nice thing about Beck is that he makes it so easy to realize how right our side is.

WINNERS

Black Broadway (BBWY) 6.39 +1.33 +20.81%

Denzel wins Tonys. Halle Berry and Sam Jax hitting the stage. Will and Jada in "Streetcar"? May not be the "Great White Way" for long.

Well, let's not hope it gets this black.

LOSERS

Blacks and the Tea Party (BTEAP) .29 -.2 -40.82%

We gave the NAACP some grief for their resolution, but the thing is, they're right. The core sentiment that drives the Tea Party is race. Not taxes (cause they're not higher -- even though they should be). Not deficits. They "want their country back"... from the black guy.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Bsi 2,027.54 -9.77 -.48%

Here at the Index we wonder what exactly the NAACP thought they were going to get out of going out of their way to "officially" label the Tea Party movement racist other than strengthen the resolve of the group and weaken the NAACP's own credibilit-- what's that?... CNN's doing a piece on both groups. Oh. Now I get it.

Wow. Back-to-back NAACP posts. Can they make it a three-peat?

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Bsi 2,037.31 +9.77 +.48%

Kudos to First Lady Michelle Obama for daring the NAACP to move beyond the slavery, segregation and discrimination narrative and focus more on issues like obesity that are ravaging the black community.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Bsi 2,080.82 +7.29 +.35%

In light of the lengthy, costly and biased drug war the NAACP has come out in support of the California ballot initiative to legalize marijuana. While we wholeheartedly support the uncharacteristic, of late, move to be on the right side of history, we still have to ask... who's running that place?

Friday, June 11, 2010

Bsi 2,096.68 +29.76 +1.42%

By the time you read this Africa will have begun to host the first World Cup on the continent. Here's hoping the historic event goes off without a hitch.

WINNERS

Alvin Greene (AGSC) 3.19 +3.19 NA

No one saw that coming. Greene's primary win puts him on the map, but with the party asking him to bow out following the unearthing of criminal charges against him, this may be a short celebration.

LOSERS

NAACP (NAACP) 20.37 -3.89 -16.03%

Racist graduation card-gate... oh, boy -- not the way to show that you're a 21st Century organization.

Friday, April 9, 2010

Bsi 2,100.12 +.31 +.01%

The NAACP drops its bias suit against the bank Wells Fargo -- which might actually mean something either way if the NAACP actually represented people anymore.

Guess they're not racist anymore. No word on the other banks named in the lawsuit.

WINNERS

Harryette Mullen (HMPOET) .38 +.38 NA

Winner of the $50,000 Jackson Poetry Prize

LOSERS

Tiki Barber (TB21) .89 -.77 -46.39%

It's none of our business, but with the current fidelity ferver it's not a great time to step out on your pregnant wife -- not if you don't want your job threatened.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Bsi 2,039.17 -9.25 -.45%

The first week of the new decade sees the New York Times declare Harlem safe for the masses and Glen Beck show his racism -- again.

African-American is a bogus, PC, made-up term. I mean, that's not a race. Your ancestry is from Africa and now you live in America. Ok, so you were brought over -- either your family was brought over through the slave trade or you were born here and your family emigrated here or whatever but that is not a race.

Thanks Glen. Cause Afric-- I mean, blacks aren't allowed to define ourselves.

WINNERS

NAACP Image Awards (N2ACPI) 4.29 +1.21 +28.21%

While we are generally skeptical of any award show that heaps praise and recognition on House of Payne, we have to give the Image Awards some dap for nominating Barry Jenkins' Medicine for Melancholy.

If you haven't seen it yet -- do so now.

LOSERS

Harold Ford (FRDTN) 3.17 -1.11 -25.93%

Too much heat and/or racism in Tennessee leads Harold Ford to give up and look to New York for a senate seat.

The cause of the new carpetbagging?

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Bsi 2,085.5 -3.46 -.17%

Look, NAACP, we know you want to be heard. But we've got a president who reads the newspapers and knows about the jobs issue, it doesn't help to pile on now.

Damn, NAACP -- he's on it. Give the brother a chance.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Bsi 2,127.9 -5.13 -.24%

How come it seems like the ONLY thing the NAACP cares about is how and how many blacks are represented on TV?  Now they're mad at the Emmys.  We don't want to get all "mote" and "beam" on them, but it's hard to criticize someone else's awards show when yours is such a joke.

Image Award winner, best comedy.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Bsi 2,036.78 +17.55 +.86%

Traditionally when black leaders call their people out on disturbing behavior it's a message confined to the community.  Particularly when these words are spoken at an NAACP event.  However, when that leader also happens to be the leader of the Free World -- well, let's just say that gets people talking.

We've been here before.  During the campaign Obama was criticized for taking on problems in the black community in a public forum.  We here at the Index though are taking the less cynical approach, for the moment, and take the president's latest comments as genuine concern from an African-American with a pulpit rather than a political gambit (fingers crossed).

WINNERS

Interracial Lovin' (BWL) 9.28 +4.36 +46.98%

Ladies and gentlemen a major, national commercials the explicitly features an black male and white female couple (with baby in tow so there's NO mistaking the nature of their relationship).  There's only one word for that: OBAMA!

LOSERS

Black Hollywood (BHWD) 5.31 -1.39 -20.75%

With the passing of writer Judi Ann Mason black Hollywood lost a true trailblazer.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Bsi 1,974.43 -16.53 -.83%

Oh, NAACP, why do you do this to us?  Just over a week ago we applauded your efforts to bring to light predatory bank lending practices -- a serious issues critically affecting black Americans.  But now, here they are demanding that advertising agencies hire more minorities.  The timing couldn't be worse as ad companies are having a hard time holding on to the employees they have, let alone hire new ones. 

In addition, the request goes right to the heart of our issue with the NAACP and their annual reports on diversity in media.  Diversity at its best is an amorphous goal.  Strong arm tactics lead more to a climate of knee-jerk reactions and a culture of quotas than anything else. 

Monday, March 16, 2009

Bsi 2,018.61 +11.29 +.56%

Followers of this Index know that analysts here have been tough on the NAACP.  Which is why it's a pleasant surprise to see them using their media clout to spotlight bank lending practices that steered black borrowers toward higher risk loans, even if they qualified for better ones.

The facts will bear out whether or not this is a case of institutional racism or just business opportunism -- still, it's good to see the problem coming to light.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Bsi 2,128.27 +16.42 +.77%

Forbes magazine confirms what the box office has already made plain as day: Will Smith is the most bankable star on the planet.

And yet there are almost NO black sit-coms on the air right now... sometimes I think Hollywood WANTS to fail.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH WATCH

In honor of Black History Month we here at the Index present this special feature to keep you abreast of those happenings you'll only find in February.  Think of it as the TV listings at the back of Jet magazine, but with fewer Tim Reid references.

THE NAACP IMAGE AWARDS

Tune in and watch 'House of Payne' win an award... Yes, THAT 'House of Payne'.

Friday, January 9, 2009

Bsi 1,788.66 +11.74 +.66%

The week ends on a positive note as the end of the Bush Era draws tantalizing near.

WINNERS

NAACP (NAACP) 31.49 +4.23 +13.43%

By crying racism in the Roland Burris incident the century old organization proved that it can still prey on white guilt -- or at least the Democrats.

Let's see, it went from Blagojevich is a stain on the party to you're a racists if you don't seat his appointment.  Way to stay on message Harry.

LOSERS

The Black Community and The Cops 3.91 -.87 -18.2%

We're less than two weeks from inaugurating the country's first black president and innocent, unarmed black men in the country are still being shot by cops.

First there was the shooting of Robbie Tolan, son of former St. Louis Cardinal Bobby Tolan, outside of Houston, TX.  Tolan, a promising baseball prospect, was shot by police  in his parent's own driveway after being "suspected" of stealing the car he was driving.  Then came the January 1 murder of Oscar Grant III in Oakland by transit police.

We can chalk these incidents up to things unlikely to change even with a black guy in the White House.