Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Bsi 2,159.89 -21.83 -1%

The choice as head of the Republican party comes off as a cynical playing of identity politics, sending the Index lower for the first time in nearly three weeks.

"See, we've got one too."

Of course, what do we expect from people who brought us him...

and her.

BUY

Black History Month

At its best, a celebration of the historical relevance of the black contribution to this country.

SELL

Black History Month

...And, at its worst, an excuse to re-air Puffy's "Raisin in the Sun".

Please, please, please people... read something -- anything -- by Lorraine Hansbury OTHER than "Raisin in the Sun".  She really was a brilliant writer and "Raisin" doesn't quite give you the full picture.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Bsi 1,514.78 -19.12 -1.25%

Long-time Index anchor Rev. Al Sharpton drags the market downward behind his demand that the New York Post apologize for printing a sports column with the following lede:

“Good for Tom Coughlin. Good for Coughlin for tightening the noose around Plaxico Burress.”

That ticking in your head is a countdown to irrelevance.

Analysts here see no racial context to the statement what-so-ever and find it ironic that Sharpton presents himself as a spokesman for black equality, yet he continually puts forth the message that blacks need to be insulated from certain words, regardless of context.  And that's ridiculous -- particularly in a day and age when Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin hangs in effigy in West Hollywood.

Context is everything people.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Bsi 1,457.52 +27.51 +1.89%

Market anxiety gives way to excitement as either way you look at it, America's two week away from making history (for better or for worse... for much, much worse).

This thing kind of has turned into a circus, hasn't it?

BUY

Garrett Oliver

Since 1994 Oliver has been the Brewmaster for Brooklyn Brewery -- overseeing the company's more than twenty varieties of beer.  And it's some mighty fine beer.  

Score one for the black nerd.

Oliver reminds us that it's important to highlight success stories that take place outside of sports arenas, music studios and Hollywood backlots.

SELL

Blipsters

Is it really so extraordinary that there are black kids who shop at thrift stores and listen to The Smiths that we need to come up with a whole classification for them?

"And my favorite movie's 'Annie Hall', what about it?"

Ft. Greene

We're not the first to stick a fork in it, but gentrification has won the day.

Buggin' Out would really be buggin' out today.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Bsi 1,367.82 -9.8 -.71%

The Republicans campaign by trying to link Barack Obama to Williams Ayers, a fabricated Muslim past and anything other than relevant issues in an attempt to close widening poll deficits, ushering the spectre of  The Bradley Effect back into the public dialogue.  

"Was it something I said?"

The Truth, Ruth

Friday, September 19, 2008

Bsi 1,453.76 +13.51 +.93%

Another day of gains as analysts see the GOP post-convention bounce all but disappear.

Gerard Phelan... Sarah Palin... close enough.  Bombs away.

WINNERS

The Existence of White Privilege (EWP) 17.82 +3.16 +17.73

EWP sees its biggest gains since the election of George W. Bush in 2000 after professional contrarian John Stossel sparked an Internet meme.

Of course Stossel, in over six hundred words, missed a critical point Chris Rock was able to make in just a paragraph.

"But let's keep it fucking real, OK?  A black C student can't run no fucking company.  A black C student can't even be the manager of Burger King.  Meanwhile, a white C student just happens to be president of the United States of America!"

LOSERS

Josh Howard  (JH5) 9.28 -3.31 -26.35%

Howard's indifference to the national anthem has been all over the Internet this week (and both he and his owner, Mark Cuban, have had to endure the disproportionate and sometimes ugly outrage).  But the bad news for the NBA star inadvertently helped boost the stock of our weekly winner by drawing into juxtaposition the reactions between black words and white actions.

Black basketball player doesn't honor the national anthem = Traitor

White Vice Presidential candidate and husband associate with successionist movement = Misunderstood.

BET  (BET) 21.47 -7.82 -26.7%

It's been a bad couple of weeks for Black Entertainment Television.  First Reginald Hudlin, brought in to bring the network up to the standard of its cable television competition, leaves with his mission unfulfilled.  Then it premieres the first scripted show in the network's three decade history to little fanfare (the ambitious Somebodies.  A show with potential, but missing a professional touch).  Then, this week, their news department gives R. Kelly -- child molester -- a hero's welcome in a magazine piece.

I'm sorry, did you just say 'Ali'?  As in, Muhammad Ali?

The network could stand to take their own advice and say to itself, 'We got to do Better."