The House speaker’s plea for purported good Republicans to reclaim their party overlooks the fact that the GOP has long been trash
Considering her title and the historical significance behind it, no one can ever completely discount the political acumen of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But it is fair to question why one of the most powerful Democrats in America would bother championing the virtues and necessity of the Republican Party in 2021.
Accepting an honorary degree from Smith College in Massachusetts last week, Pelosi made the following plea to her GOP besties: “I say to my Republican friends, take back your party. The country needs a big, strong Republican Party. And I say that as a leader in the Democratic Party…
After a life of self-loathing and resentment, a letter from my absentee mom brought me peace
Let society tell it, your mother is supposed to be a nurturer — the person who wipes your tears, showers you with love, and helps you become the best possible version of yourself. You could likely play Netflix roulette or pick up a fictional book at random for verification. My experience has been quite the contrary. As age 37 approaches, the fact that I don’t have a woman in my life to call “mama” still hurts a little deep down inside.
There’s a face out there in this world that looks like mine of which I have no memory. There’s…
Democrats and Republicans are equally to blame for the ceasing of unemployment payments to Americans struggling through a pandemic
Last Monday, the richest nation on Earth allowed millions of Americans already down on their luck to find themselves in much more dire circumstances as federally funded emergency unemployment programs came to an end.
In what has been described as one of the largest and most abrupt ends to government aid in U.S. history, more than seven million people have lost all of their benefits, with an additional nearly three million more losing a $300 weekly boost to their state unemployment benefits. Half the states — nearly all led by Republican governors — had already ended the federal benefits based…
Usher, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Julianne Hough are slated to host a reality show that will pit activists against each other
In hindsight, this is probably the natural outcome of the current state of affairs. The internet has been on fire since the announcement on September 9 that Usher, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and Julianne Hough are set to co-host The Activist, a Global Citizen competition series from CBS set to premiere on October 22. It sounds like a real-life Hunger Games reality show. According to a report on Deadline:
Activists go head-to-head in challenges to promote their causes, with their success measured via online engagement, social metrics, and hosts’ input. The three teams have one ultimate goal: to create impactful movements…
My dad escaped the horrors of the World Trade Center attacks. Yet for both of us, the trauma remains.
I had big plans for September 11, 2001.
I left my childhood home in Queens that morning dressed in flared jeans with patches below the knee. As I hopped on the F train at 179th Street and Hillside Avenue, Krystal Harris’ song “Supergirl!” from The Princess Diaries played on repeat in my Discman. I was just a teen, a sophomore at NYU headed to class and counting down the hours until that evening, when I’d meet with my friends to see O-Town perform live.
That day didn’t go as planned.
Instead of dancing and singing at the top of my…
And the asshole could probably win — especially with a better plan to steal the next election
How fitting is it that a politician presently under federal investigation for the sex trafficking of a minor has high hopes for another habitually law-breaking politician who has been serially accused of sexual assault?
“Trump sees Biden is on the ropes,” Florida Rep. and goofy-ass man Matt Gaetz recently declared. “He wants to throw punches as a combatant, not a heckler from the stands.”
Gaetz was quick to note, however, that former President Donald Trump is in no rush to announce a reelection bid because “the base is rightly loyal to him.”
Dear Level
We all have moments where we lack confidence—but that’s no free pass to be a creep
I recently found myself in a cringeworthy virtual conversation with Jacob, a film producer who gives off some powerful #MeToo vibes. I don’t speak with this guy often, but when I do, it’s always alarming. He’s usually tipsy or full-blown drunk. With each sip, he loses more of his composure and is less able to hide his true intentions.
“You’re so smart,” he slurred.
“You’re dynamic. Do you know that?” he continued. “And you’re gorgeous. A powerhouse. None of the men you’ve ever been with know how to handle you. I mean, do you know how beautiful you are?”
His…
From callous abortion laws to restrictive voting policies, my native state is nearing rock bottom. Will a Democrat challenge the governor to right the ship?
Contrary to the national imagination, many native Texans can recall a time in which the state didn’t feel like it was always ruled under varying strains of repression and stupidity.
As a child, the first governor I remember was a woman named Ann Richards, who sounded a lot like the kind of country White folk who populated Texas with the rest of us, only with more of a politically progressive bent for the times. I’m too young to recall her referring to former President George H.W. Bush as having been “born with a silver foot in his mouth” at the…
Kanye West’s new album is far from flawless, but it delivers on its mission nonetheless
Kanye West released his 10th solo studio album, Donda, on Sunday, August 29. It had been teased for weeks, with each listening event — two inside Atlanta’s Georgia Dome and one inside his hometown Chicago’s Soldier Field — building hype for what felt like a messianic scripture that would never come.
But then it was here. Nearly two hours of music, most of which had previously been heard with slight tweaks and a few notable omissions. Much has already been made of it — critics who’ve primarily judged the album on aesthetics (how it sounds), social politics (Marilyn Mansion and…
POLITICS + WOMANISM
The history of eugenics and misogynoir make a devastating pair
Last night, I dropped into the Clubhouse app. The first room that popped up read “Is Abortion Murder?” Still reeling after the news in Texas, I decided to listen. Quickly, I realized that men and a few close-your-legs-Susans were actively debating a woman’s right to choose. But their jargon seemed pretty one-sided.
First, they debated the utility of human life, insisting that since all babies have the potential for joy, all women should carry their babies to term. But you know what, they did not consider the merits of the mother having rights or her life having utility.
LEVEL
Higher Learning. A publication from Medium for the interested man.
