theroot--2020-09-22--Think You Don’t Have Room for a Printer? Think Again: The Best Compact Printers Are Here

Looking to reorganize your space ?
Me too .
We ’ re six months into a pandemic , causing me to prioritize things differently than I used to .
Now , work seems to have moved home with me , and of course , I need a printer .
But , I hate giving up the little space I have for something I won ’ t be using very often .
And so , it ’ s time to start shopping for the best compact printer around .
The HP Tango printer was perfect .
And if you get the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ships with a convenient cover , making it less of an eyesore than some competing options and an extension of my home office .
HP sent me one for review , and here you ’ ll learn more about it , and other bite-size printers that might suit your needs .
Best for When You ’ re in a Jam : “ I ’ ve been burned by cheap inkjet printers a million times , ” Brian Kelleher , Director of Content at Killer Guitar Rigs told me in an interview .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ printer and after weighing up what I actually needed—something small [ that ] never [ prints ] in color , [ and ] must include [ a ] scanner—I picked up the Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer.
” “ It ’ s the best printer I ’ ve ever owned , ” Kelleher enthusiastically shares .
“ I ’ ve had it for a year now and just swapped out the toner cartridge for the first time .
It ’ s never once jammed , it ’ s never run out of ink @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than ink.
” Like many parents , Kelleher has a little one running around that he has to entertain , and this printer has been a lifesaver for him .
“ I ’ ve printed thousands of worksheets for my kids without having to explain to a 3-year-old what a paper jam is—and I haven ’ t had to go out and get new ink because it never runs out.
” Mark Condon is the CEO and Founder of Shotkit .
As the CEO of a photography company , he both needs a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I would suggest the Epson WorkForce , ” Candon tell me via email .
Extremely lightweight , the Epson WorkForce WF-110 easily one of the lightest mobile printers out there .
Candon goes on to tell me , “ It comes with a nice built-in battery that allows users to print up to 100 pages on a single charge , which is quite good for a printer of its quality and size .
It also generates some good-looking printouts for a portable printer and incorporates tons of connectivity options to guarantee users @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Of course , slow printing is definitely a downside , but for Candon , this printer is really an “ all-around winner , ” he tells me .
“ It is easy to maintain and ink prices won ’ t cost very much , which is great for long-term use and cost-efficiency.
” When I set out looking for a compact printer , the Tango was not on my list .
The HP printer I thought I wanted was discontinued , so HP sent me the Tango X printer instead .
It turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I ’ m not someone who needs to print often .
In fact , I mostly needed a printer for shipping labels , since my local UPS store charges an obscene $ 3 per label .
So , at most , the printer is used weekly , and only briefly .
Oftentimes , I ’ m looking to print something from my phone , not my computer .
I love that the HP Tango allows me to easily email my printer , and have everything printed wirelessly .
I can even voice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ home office device .
I wanted a printer that wouldn ’ t take over the little space I had on my desk .
The HP Tango X worked perfectly for this ; it fits on the corner of my desk , but unlike the traditional printer , it folds completely flat , serving as the platform for a vase of flowers when I ’ m not using it .
Best for NYC ( and NYC-Sized ) Apartments : My editor , Gabe Carey , Head of Content and Strategy here at The Inventory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through .
Living in Manhattan , he doesn ’ t have much much space for an unwieldy all-in-one inkjet printer .
“ Working from home , however , printing our own shipping labels is now a necessity for both of us to send and receive packages , ” he tells me .
The Canon Pixma TR150 is the small printer he uses to get the job done .
Measuring just 12.7 x 7.3 x 2.6 ” he claims it is “ handily the best compact printer for our limited space and budget.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50-page limit a downside , not him .
In fact , “ anything above that is excessive.
” Being a tech reviewer , Carey raves about the cord-free nature of the printer and easy setup .
“ An optional battery pack keeps it cord-free while a 1.44 ” OLED display guides you through an easy setup.
” Ultimately , this is the perfect all-around printer .
“ Not only is it small and lightweight but the Pixma TR150 is accessible enough I can recommend it to anyone , ” Carey tells me .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ printer after all .

Chaya M Milchtein on Roundups, shared by Gabe Carey to The Root

Top Product: Brother HL-L2350DW | $170 | Amazon
Working from home, whether by choice or not, is becoming increasingly common. It cuts out your commute, you don’t have to worry about being caught by your boss on the way to the toilet, and you can even work in your pyjamas, if you want to. However, it also means that a lot of people are suddenly lacking the same equipment they’d have in an office. One of the most notable changes is that a lot of people no longer have access to a printer, but that doesn’t have to be the case.
Whether you’re looking for something that can print off a bunch of legal papers, or you’re just looking for a way to get some of your favorite photos out from the digital realm into the real one, there are plenty of printers out there that can do the job. Better yet, thanks to the constant improvement of technology, you don’t have to dedicate an entire room to these printers.
In fact, there are some printers that are so small you could feasibly fit them in your pocket, or at least a large coat pocket. So, no matter what you’re looking for, the chances are that you’ll be able to find something that’s smaller than you’d expect, and possibly more affordable too, right here.
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“I’ve been burned by cheap inkjet printers a million times,” Brian Kelleher, Director of Content at Killer Guitar Rigs, told me in an interview. “A friend suggested I get a laser printer and after weighing up what I actually needed—something small [that] never [prints] in color, [and] must include [a] scanner—I picked up the Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer.”
“It’s the best printer I’ve ever owned,” Kelleher enthusiastically shares. “I’ve had it for a year now and just swapped out the toner cartridge for the first time. It’s never once jammed, it’s never run out of ink, and the toner cartridge was cheaper than ink.”
Like many parents, Kelleher has a little one running around that he has to entertain, and this printer has been a lifesaver for him. “I’ve printed thousands of worksheets for my kids without having to explain to a 3-year-old what a paper jam is—and I haven’t had to go out and get new ink because it never runs out.”
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Our friends at Gizmodo put several home printers in a head-to-head battle and also found that the Brother HL-L2350DW was the most cost-efficient printer of the bunch, making it a compact option that’ll also save you money over time. It’s been harder to find recently and is running more expensive, too, but should still prove to be a good value over the long haul.
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As the founder and CEO of photography company Shotkit, Mark Condon needed a printer that was both high-quality and mobile. “I would suggest the Epson Workforce,” he tells me via email.
Lightweight and mobile, the Epson Workforce WF-110 is one of the lightest printers out there. “It comes with a nice built-in battery that allows users to print up to 100 pages on a single charge, which is quite good for a printer of its quality and size,” Condon elaborates. “It also generates some good-looking printouts for a portable printer and incorporates tons of connectivity options to guarantee users stay truly mobile when using it.”
Slower printing is one downside, but Condon still calls this Epson an “all-around winner,” he adds. “It is easy to maintain and ink prices won’t cost very much, which is great for long-term use and cost-efficiency.”
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While the HP Tango X used to be the cream of the crop here, it’s becoming increasingly hard to get hold of one as it was discontinued. Because of that, rather than looking at office use, we’re going to lean into a printer that’s better suited to filling your home with photos you’ve taken yourself, or the ones your kid’s been snapping as they get more into photography.
The Fujifilm Instax Mini Link is a smartphone printer that’s been designed to help you indulge your inner photographer. It’s incredibly small, can be used with the app you can download for free, and can even be used to add frames to images if you want to.
This isn’t something that’s going to be able to get the report your boss needs to them any quicker, but it is nice to be able to print a picture of your cat or kids to send to other people as presents. Plus, this bundle comes with paper already included, which means you can get started straight away.
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My editor, Gabe Carey, Head of Content and Strategy here at The Inventory, is a tech reviewer through and through. Living in Manhattan, he doesn’t have much much space for an unwieldy all-in-one inkjet printer. “Working from home, however, printing our own shipping labels is now a necessity for both of us to send and receive packages,” he tells me.
The Canon Pixma TR150 is the small printer he uses to get the job done. Measuring just 12.7 x 7.3 x 2.6” he claims it is “handily the best compact printer for our limited space and budget.”
While some people may see the limited 50-page limit a downside, not him. In fact, “anything above that is excessive.” Being a tech reviewer, Carey raves about the cord-free nature of the printer and easy setup. “An optional battery pack keeps it cord-free while a 1.44” OLED display guides you through an easy setup.”
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Ultimately, this is the perfect all-around printer. “Not only is it small and lightweight, but the Pixma TR150 is accessible enough I can recommend it to anyone,” Carey tells me.
Bottom Line?
Printers have changed a lot in recent years, and not having a huge amount of space for one is no longer the downside it used to be. You can pick up one of several interesting and genuinely useful printers now, no matter what you want it for, and it won’t take up too much space.
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While compact printers may not have the same features as something that’s larger, they still get the job done, and having that extra space is often worth the trade-off.
This story was originally published by Chaya Milchtein in October 2020 and updated by Jason Coles with new information on 01/18/2022.


theroot--2020-09-22--Trump Continues to Lie About COVID-19, Claims It Isn’t a Risk for Young People

There are only two kinds of people in the world : Those of us who follow uncompromised science and fucking idiots .
I don ’ t blame those who follow the political stylings of President Trump .
( Who am I kidding ?
Of course , I blame all of y ’ all shit bags for following this ghoul . )
But I must admit that I ’ m a little concerned about those of us who follow his scientific advice ( no I ’ m not .
F uck ya ’ ll . )
Seriously , what the fuck @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. death toll has eclipsed 200,000 and Trump , the president of people who believe anything he says , once again lied and said that COVID-19 “ affects virtually nobody ” younger than 18 , “ again downplaying the extent of the pandemic and contradicting his previous statements that the virus poses a risk to ‘ plenty of young people , ’ ” the Washington Post reports .
Trump made this claim during another one of his racist pep rallies , this time in Swanton , Ohio , in front of a group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ each other like cigarettes .
Trump continued to push the lie that only older “ Americans with heart problems and preexisting conditions truly need to fear the virus.
” “ It affects elderly people , elderly people with heart problems and other problems .
That ’ s what it really affects , ” the president said , the Post reports .
“ In some states , thousands of people — nobody young .
Below the age of 18 , like , nobody .
They have a strong immune system , who knows ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because they have a hell of an immune system .
But it affects virtually nobody .
It ’ s an amazing thing.
” Umm…No the fuck it isn ’ t .
The virus has been noted to affect young people at a much smaller rate and claiming that younger people aren ’ t affected is just a bold-faced lie .
But his followers don ’ t care .
The president could literally walk out on stage at a rally and take a shit and they would all applaud his form .
During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rage , Trump was recorded claiming that he purposefully downplayed the severity of COVID-19 — he was even taped saying that the virus affected “ plenty of young people.
” “ Now it ’ s turning out it ’ s not just old people , Bob , ” Trump told Woodward , the Post reports .
“ But just today , and yesterday , some startling facts came out .
It ’ s not just old , older.
” According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention , children are at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ greater risk of spreading COVID-19 .
Last month , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number and rate of coronavirus cases among children younger than 18 had increased “ steadily ” from March to July .
The agency emphasized that while covid-19 remains more serious and prevalent among adults , a lack of widespread testing prevents public health experts from understanding the true incidence of infection for American children .
A CDC study found that young people of color , much like their older counterparts , have been disproportionately hospitalized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peers .
The World Health Organization warned in August that young people are becoming primary spreaders of the virus in many countries .
Several American studies published over the summer suggested that those younger than 18 , with their high rate of infection and viral loads , play a much larger role in community spread of the coronavirus than researchers previously believed .
Anthony S. Fauci , director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , recently said that the long-term effects of covid-19 in young people — residual symptoms such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — are “ really troublesome.
” But Trump is still out here still encouraging states to open schools for in-person learning , because , let ’ s face it , he doesn ’ t give a shit who dies as long as the economy doesn ’ t collapse .
On Monday , Trump repeated his refrain saying , “ Open your schools .
E verybody , open your schools.
” What he didn ’ t say , and what he ’ ll never say , is what Maria Van Kerkhove , head of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ zoonosis unit , said during a news conference last month : “ We are seeing young people who are dying from this virus , ” the Post reports .

There are only two kinds of people in the world: Those of us who follow uncompromised science and fucking idiots.
I don’t blame those who follow the political stylings of President Trump. (Who am I kidding? Of course, I blame all of y’all shit bags for following this ghoul.) But I must admit that I’m a little concerned about those of us who follow his scientific advice (no I’m not. F uck ya’ll.)
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Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you people?
The U.S. death toll has eclipsed 200,000 and Trump, the president of people who believe anything he says, once again lied and said that COVID-19 “affects virtually nobody” younger than 18, “again downplaying the extent of the pandemic and contradicting his previous statements that the virus poses a risk to ‘plenty of young people,’” the Washington Post reports.
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Trump made this claim during another one of his racist pep rallies, this time in Swanton, Ohio, in front of a group of maskholes who were packed next to each other like cigarettes. Trump continued to push the lie that only older “Americans with heart problems and preexisting conditions truly need to fear the virus.”
“It affects elderly people, elderly people with heart problems and other problems. That’s what it really affects,” the president said, the Post reports. “In some states, thousands of people — nobody young. Below the age of 18, like, nobody. They have a strong immune system, who knows? Take your hat off to the young, because they have a hell of an immune system. But it affects virtually nobody. It’s an amazing thing.”
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Umm…No the fuck it isn’t. The virus has been noted to affect young people at a much smaller rate and claiming that younger people aren’t affected is just a bold-faced lie. But his followers don’t care. The president could literally walk out on stage at a rally and take a shit and they would all applaud his form.
During interviews with Bob Woodward for his book Rage, Trump was recorded claiming that he purposefully downplayed the severity of COVID-19 — he was even taped saying that the virus affected “plenty of young people.”
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“Now it’s turning out it’s not just old people, Bob,” Trump told Woodward, the Post reports. “But just today, and yesterday, some startling facts came out. It’s not just old, older.”
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, children are at risk for severe COVID-19 and are at a greater risk of spreading COVID-19.
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From the Post:
Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number and rate of coronavirus cases among children younger than 18 had increased “steadily” from March to July. The agency emphasized that while covid-19 remains more serious and prevalent among adults, a lack of widespread testing prevents public health experts from understanding the true incidence of infection for American children. A CDC study found that young people of color, much like their older counterparts, have been disproportionately hospitalized from covid-19, compared with their White peers. The World Health Organization warned in August that young people are becoming primary spreaders of the virus in many countries. Several American studies published over the summer suggested that those younger than 18, with their high rate of infection and viral loads, play a much larger role in community spread of the coronavirus than researchers previously believed. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, recently said that the long-term effects of covid-19 in young people — residual symptoms such as a high rate of cardiovascular abnormalities — are “really troublesome.”
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But Trump is still out here still encouraging states to open schools for in-person learning, because, let’s face it, he doesn’t give a shit who dies as long as the economy doesn’t collapse. On Monday, Trump repeated his refrain saying, “Open your schools. E verybody, open your schools.”
What he didn’t say, and what he’ll never say, is what Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging disease and zoonosis unit, said during a news conference last month: “We are seeing young people who are dying from this virus,” the Post reports.


theroot--2020-09-22--Sunny Hostin Says ABC Censored Her New Memoir, Which Details Discrimination Allegations

Did ABC execs insist on removing segments of The View co-host Sunny Hostin ’ s new memoir , I Am These Truths ?
As Hostin told Ronan Farrow in a candid conversation about her new book , which debuted today , September 22 , yes , they did .
The memoir , named in reference to the Constitution , apparently shares revealing insights about Hostin ’ s Afro-Latinx and impoverished upbringing , education , commitment to social justice and legal career , as well as issues of discrimination and pay equity .
The latter placed the lawyer-turned TV personality-turned author @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to telling the entire truth about her experiences on The View .
“ I write about The View , and I still work there , ” she says .
“ I think it ’ s rare for someone to write about their employer truthfully and honestly while they still work there.
” As Hostin explained , the network requested that she remove some of the more indicting anecdotes she ’ d initially shared in her book .
“ I felt that I had been somewhat censored by ABC in writing the book , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remove some passages ...
I think they were concerned about how my experiences made the network look.
” Among those revelations was the fact that Hostin was perhaps the only one of The View ’ s co-host to receive no fanfare or formal introduction upon joining the cast of hosts .
“ I was just sort of guest-hosting and guest-hosting , and then , sort of ... there , ” she said .
“ I think I was treated differently than a white woman would have been treated , ” she continued .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a different floor , and I noticed that other co-hosts that came on after I came on were given dressing rooms on the main floor with everyone else .
And while that seems like a small thing , it ’ s those little indignities that make you feel and question whether or not you are being treated differently ... And you wonder : ‘ Am I being crazy ?
Am I being sensitive ?
Am I playing the race card ?
’ ” “ And so I decided that it felt wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hostin added , noting that while her first-world issues may seem trivial in the context of current events , they reflect experiences too many of us are having .
“ These are indignities I think that people of color deal with every single day in different scales , ” she said , noting that privilege doesn ’ t preclude her from experiencing the same inequities as so many other women of color—and particularly , women of color ( see : Black/Latinx/Indigenous Women ’ s Equal Pay Day ) , even when we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things ” to ensure upward mobility .
“ I do all the work , yet I am not treated the same way as other people .
That needs to be told , that story , ” says Hostin .
Refusing to be censored and fearing retaliation , Hostin hired an attorney to push back against ABC ’ s edits .
After the book had already gone to print , an internal investigation at ABC revealed Hostin had , in her words , “ been discriminated against , ” as reported by Page Six @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I was hurt , ” Hostin told Farrow of learning the results of the six-month investigation , for which 34 witnesses were reportedly interviewed ( as reported by the New York Times , Fedida was subsequently dismissed ) .
She also reports receiving support and that her experience has prompted change at the network .
Nevertheless , she says : “ I was saddened because I realized that all those things that were going through my mind ...
I knew , at that moment , that I was right .
And that made @ @ @ @ @

Did ABC execs insist on removing segments of The View co-host Sunny Hostin’s new memoir, I Am These Truths? As Hostin told Ronan Farrow in a candid conversation about her new book, which debuted today, September 22, yes, they did. The memoir, named in reference to the Constitution, apparently shares revealing insights about Hostin’s Afro-Latinx and impoverished upbringing, education, commitment to social justice and legal career, as well as issues of discrimination and pay equity. The latter placed the lawyer-turned TV personality-turned author in an awkward position when it came to telling the entire truth about her experiences on The View.
“I write about The View, and I still work there,” she says. “I think it’s rare for someone to write about their employer truthfully and honestly while they still work there.”
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As Hostin explained, the network requested that she remove some of the more indicting anecdotes she’d initially shared in her book. “I felt that I had been somewhat censored by ABC in writing the book,” she shares. “I did remove some passages...I think they were concerned about how my experiences made the network look.”
Among those revelations was the fact that Hostin was perhaps the only one of The View’s co-host to receive no fanfare or formal introduction upon joining the cast of hosts. “I was just sort of guest-hosting and guest-hosting, and then, sort of...there,” she said.
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“I think I was treated differently than a white woman would have been treated,” she continued. “I was given a dressing room on a different floor, and I noticed that other co-hosts that came on after I came on were given dressing rooms on the main floor with everyone else. And while that seems like a small thing, it’s those little indignities that make you feel and question whether or not you are being treated differently...And you wonder: ‘Am I being crazy? Am I being sensitive? Am I playing the race card?’”
“And so I decided that it felt wrong not to tell the truth,” Hostin added, noting that while her first-world issues may seem trivial in the context of current events, they reflect experiences too many of us are having.
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“These are indignities I think that people of color deal with every single day in different scales,” she said, noting that privilege doesn’t preclude her from experiencing the same inequities as so many other women of color—and particularly, women of color (see: Black/Latinx/Indigenous Women’s Equal Pay Day), even when we’ve technically done “all the right things” to ensure upward mobility.
“I do all the work, yet I am not treated the same way as other people. That needs to be told, that story,” says Hostin.
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Refusing to be censored and fearing retaliation, Hostin hired an attorney to push back against ABC’s edits. After the book had already gone to print, an internal investigation at ABC revealed Hostin had, in her words, “been discriminated against,” as reported by Page Six:
Hostin said she hired a lawyer because she feared retaliation. It was revealed this year that former ABC SVP of talent Barbara Fedida allegedly once referred to Hostin as “low-rent.” Hostin said that she learned that Fedida had “discriminated against” her after the book was finished. “So I chose to write a foreword … My employer didn’t know I was doing that, but I did it and it felt good to do it,” Hostin said.
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“Rather than be angry, I was hurt,” Hostin told Farrow of learning the results of the six-month investigation, for which 34 witnesses were reportedly interviewed (as reported by the New York Times, Fedida was subsequently dismissed). She also reports receiving support and that her experience has prompted change at the network. Nevertheless, she says: “I was saddened because I realized that all those things that were going through my mind...I knew, at that moment, that I was right. And that made me incredibly sad.”


theroot--2020-09-22--The Joker's Plan in The Dark Knight Was Dependent on Expected Brutality From a 'Good' Cop

The success of T he Joker ’ s numerous schemes in The Dark Knight is dependent on a medley of greed , corruption , stupidity , and mostly collective late-stage astigmatism .
Blowing up Gotham General , for instance , requires the thousands of nurses and doctors and orderlies and janitors and cafeteria workers and patients and patients ’ families in the hospital to either get spontaneous migraines or be distracted by a really pithy tweet or something so no one would notice the dozens of explosives planted on the campus .
And all of his plans involve a police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ masterminds with arbitrarily—and unnecessarily—complex strategies were able to infiltrate it in a five-year span .
Preventing Gotham ’ s destruction , of course , is SoulCycle Eric Trump doing jujitsu in really scary snorkeling gear .
He is not alone , though .
Batman is assisted by “ good ” cops throughout Christopher Nolan ’ s trilogy .
Most notably Jim Gordon in each film and Robin Blake in The Dark Knight Rises .
There are also rank and file members of the Gotham police force that serve as allies , too .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nolan—even the “ good ” cops exist as reminders that all cops are fundamentally bad .
For instance , The Joker ’ s escape from jail depends on several unfathomably absurd things happening exactly as he planned it .
But none of it is possible without the most realistic part : the reliability of police brutality .
The scene that probably comes to mind is how the cops allow Batman to kick The Joker ’ s ass in the interrogation room while they eat peanuts .
Standing by and watching while American Ninja @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as police brutality .
But this isn ’ t even the worst part !
That comes after Batman and Gordon leave , and The Joker is left in the room with this guy .
As the movie painstakingly shows , he is one of the few Gotham cops with integrity .
Decency .
Honor .
He is a good apple .
And if he just does the job Gotham taxpayers pay him to do—or if he decides to go to Burger King or , I don ’ t know , literally just stands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ California Love ” —The Joker stays locked up and the movie ends !
( Also , why is he even in the room ? )
But The Joker relies on brutality being an essential function of “ good ” policing , and baits him into a fight .
Expected brutality is so baked into what we ’ ve been taught to consider good police work that this guy literally admits to it as a function of his goodness .
“ I know the difference between punks who need a little lesson in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who would just enjoy it ” is another way of saying “ I ’ m so used to beating unarmed suspects that I can sense who ’ d enjoy getting beat more than I enjoy doing the beating , so I won ’ t beat you ” —and this guy is supposed to be a good guy .
This is copanganda at its best .
Anyway , defund the police , burn Gotham to the ground , and Ben Affleck was the best Batman .
Bye !

Damon Young on Very Smart Brothas, shared by Damon Young to The Root

The success of T he Joker’s numerous schemes in The Dark Knight is dependent on a medley of greed, corruption, stupidity, and mostly collective late-stage astigmatism. Blowing up Gotham General, for instance, requires the thousands of nurses and doctors and orderlies and janitors and cafeteria workers and patients and patients’ families in the hospital to either get spontaneous migraines or be distracted by a really pithy tweet or something so no one would notice the dozens of explosives planted on the campus. And all of his plans involve a police force so corrupt that five different criminal masterminds with arbitrarily—and unnecessarily—complex strategies were able to infiltrate it in a five-year span.
Preventing Gotham’s destruction, of course, is SoulCycle Eric Trump doing jujitsu in really scary snorkeling gear. He is not alone, though. Batman is assisted by “good” cops throughout Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. Most notably Jim Gordon in each film and Robin Blake in The Dark Knight Rises. There are also rank and file members of the Gotham police force that serve as allies, too. But unbeknownst to them—and also to Christopher Nolan—even the “good” cops exist as reminders that all cops are fundamentally bad.
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For instance, The Joker’s escape from jail depends on several unfathomably absurd things happening exactly as he planned it. But none of it is possible without the most realistic part: the reliability of police brutality.
The scene that probably comes to mind is how the cops allow Batman to kick The Joker’s ass in the interrogation room while they eat peanuts.
Standing by and watching while American Ninja Zuckerberg mollywops an unarmed suspect definitely qualifies as police brutality. But this isn’t even the worst part! That comes after Batman and Gordon leave, and The Joker is left in the room with this guy.
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As the movie painstakingly shows, he is one of the few Gotham cops with integrity. Decency. Honor. He is a good apple. And if he just does the job Gotham taxpayers pay him to do—or if he decides to go to Burger King or, I don’t know, literally just stands there and raps the first verse of “California Love”—The Joker stays locked up and the movie ends! (Also, why is he even in the room?)
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But The Joker relies on brutality being an essential function of “good” policing, and baits him into a fight.
Expected brutality is so baked into what we’ve been taught to consider good police work that this guy literally admits to it as a function of his goodness.
“I know the difference between punks who need a little lesson in manners, and the freaks like you who would just enjoy it” is another way of saying “I’m so used to beating unarmed suspects that I can sense who’d enjoy getting beat more than I enjoy doing the beating, so I won’t beat you”—and this guy is supposed to be a good guy. This is copanganda at its best.
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Anyway, defund the police, burn Gotham to the ground, and Ben Affleck was the best Batman. Bye!


theroot--2020-09-22--Jason Whitlock's Sexist Comments About ESPN's Maria Taylor, Katie Nolan Earn Him the Much Deserved I

Jason Whitlock's Sexist Comments About ESPN's Maria Taylor, Katie Nolan Earn Him the Much Deserved Ire of the Internet

I ’ m a big believer in protecting my energy , so to that end , Jason Whitlock doesn ’ t exist in my universe .
At all .
However , far too often , Jason Whitlock Jason Whitlocks—and try as I may ignore his unique brand of clownery , I ’ m left with no choice but to acknowledge his Negro nonsense .
On Sunday , the man who once called LeBron James a “ bigot ” who “ promotes racism ” and “ incites violence with his bogus narratives on race , ” published an article ( that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ because he ain ’ t getting clicks from me ) in which he said a bunch of incredibly sexist shit about his former ESPN colleagues , Katie Nolan and Maria Taylor .
Specifically , he stated that Taylor got her ESPN gig because she ’ s “ tall , attractive and quite personable on television ” and that Nolan ’ s beauty “ intoxicates TV executives , bloggers and journalists , and it masks a lack of accomplishment , qualifications and skill.
” “ Beauty transformed Katie Nolan from bartender to seven-figure personality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aroused bloggers and TV critics willing to ignore her pedestrian humor and inability to execute live television , ” he wrote .
Did I mention this came from the sports equivalent of Tekashi 6ix9ine ?
A man whose entire career is predicated on either outright trolling or disparaging his own people as opposed to demonstrating even the smallest degree of actual sports aptitude or talent ?
Who in the hell is he to call out anyone for actually doing their job , as opposed to whatever the hell you call it that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man is a serial clown , and once Twitter learned that he came for Nolan and Taylor , they took great pride in tearing into the same man who looks like he hides pickles under his tongue .
Nolan even got into the action herself before making her account private , tweeting : “ You ’ re *this close* to making an actual point about the expectation of women to not only be good at their job but also beautiful , but actual points don ’ t pay the bills huh .
Keep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you though.
” This led to Whitlock doubling down on his original sentiment and publishing another column on Monday ( still ain ’ t getting clicks from me ) in which he dismissed Nolan as a “ Karen ” who ’ s capitalized off of the “ fraudulence of the social justice warriors ruling the mainstream sports media and blogosphere.
” The world would be a much better place if he ’ d just shut the fuck up .
But since he ’ s hell-bent on doing the complete opposite , we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we just collectively ignored his ass—just like Tekashi 6ix9ine .
So allow me to return to doing just that .

I’m a big believer in protecting my energy, so to that end, Jason Whitlock doesn’t exist in my universe. At all. However, far too often, Jason Whitlock Jason Whitlocks—and try as I may ignore his unique brand of clownery, I’m left with no choice but to acknowledge his Negro nonsense.
On Sunday, the man who once called LeBron James a “bigot” who “promotes racism” and “incites violence with his bogus narratives on race,” published an article (that I won’t link to, because he ain’t getting clicks from me) in which he said a bunch of incredibly sexist shit about his former ESPN colleagues, Katie Nolan and Maria Taylor. Specifically, he stated that Taylor got her ESPN gig because she’s “tall, attractive and quite personable on television” and that Nolan’s beauty “intoxicates TV executives, bloggers and journalists, and it masks a lack of accomplishment, qualifications and skill.”
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“Beauty transformed Katie Nolan from bartender to seven-figure personality, Emmy Award-winner and the darling of aroused bloggers and TV critics willing to ignore her pedestrian humor and inability to execute live television,” he wrote.
Did I mention this came from the sports equivalent of Tekashi 6ix9ine? A man whose entire career is predicated on either outright trolling or disparaging his own people as opposed to demonstrating even the smallest degree of actual sports aptitude or talent? Who in the hell is he to call out anyone for actually doing their job, as opposed to whatever the hell you call it that he does to get a check?
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The man is a serial clown, and once Twitter learned that he came for Nolan and Taylor, they took great pride in tearing into the same man who looks like he hides pickles under his tongue.
Advertisement
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Nolan even got into the action herself before making her account private, tweeting: “You’re *this close* to making an actual point about the expectation of women to not only be good at their job but also beautiful, but actual points don’t pay the bills huh. Keep this same energy next time I see you though.”
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This led to Whitlock doubling down on his original sentiment and publishing another column on Monday (still ain’t getting clicks from me) in which he dismissed Nolan as a “Karen” who’s capitalized off of the “fraudulence of the social justice warriors ruling the mainstream sports media and blogosphere.”
The world would be a much better place if he’d just shut the fuck up. But since he’s hell-bent on doing the complete opposite, we’d all be better for it if we just collectively ignored his ass—just like Tekashi 6ix9ine.
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So allow me to return to doing just that.


theroot--2020-09-22--RBG’s Body Isn’t Even Buried and Sen. Lindsey Graham Is Bragging They Have the Votes to Fill Her Sup

RBG’s Body Isn’t Even Buried and Sen. Lindsey Graham Is Bragging They Have the Votes to Fill Her Supreme Court Seat

If there are people who still believe that the Republican Party has a conscience , then I would like to talk to you about a sou-sou in which you give me $ 20 of actual money and I will give you back $ 800 of ghost cash .
Republicans have one agenda and that ’ s furthering their agenda .
That ’ s it .
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday .
Not months ago ; she literally died September 18 , and Republicans are full-speed ahead on filling her Supreme Court seat because they don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve said in the past , they don ’ t care if you call them hypocrites and they don ’ t care if you make noise in front of their homes .
In fact , they don ’ t care if they literally said , “ Use my words against me ” with some 40 days left before America decides its own fate , Republicans are rushing to push through a nominee .
“ We ’ ve got the votes to confirm Justice [ Ruth Bader ] Ginsburg ’ s replacement before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Senate Judiciary Committee , told Fox News ’ Sean Hannity , the New York Post reports .
“ We ’ re going to move forward in the committee , we ’ re going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election.
” The Post notes that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-Ky. ) , aka Saggy NeckFace , would only reveal that they would hold a floor vote “ this year ” on President Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has been hellbent on replacing Ginsburg and has already claimed that his pick would be a woman , but he is also a habitual liar .
“ Republicans , who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate , need at least 50 votes to confirm a nominee , ” the Post reports .
Shaky Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have already noted that they wouldn ’ t confirm a justice before the presidential election on Nov. 3 , but that doesn ’ t matter now as no other Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that includes Mitt-ass nigga Mitt Romney who loves to play the “ I ’ m not like the rest of them , except I ’ m totally like the rest of them ” with his Mitt-ass .
The only other two possibles even mentioned in voting alongside Collins and Murkowski were Sens .
Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Cory Gardner of Colorado , who both reportedly drank* goat blood out of a chalice and swore that they wouldn ’ t go against the orange oath .
** *I have no idea if the @ @ @ @ @ @

If there are people who still believe that the Republican Party has a conscience, then I would like to talk to you about a sou-sou in which you give me $20 of actual money and I will give you back $800 of ghost cash.
Republicans have one agenda and that’s furthering their agenda. That’s it.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday. Not months ago; she literally died September 18, and Republicans are full-speed ahead on filling her Supreme Court seat because they don’t give a fuck about anything they’ve said in the past, they don’t care if you call them hypocrites and they don’t care if you make noise in front of their homes. In fact, they don’t care if they literally said, “Use my words against me” with some 40 days left before America decides its own fate, Republicans are rushing to push through a nominee.
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“We’ve got the votes to confirm Justice [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg’s replacement before the election,” Graham, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Fox News’ Sean Hannity, the New York Post reports.
“We’re going to move forward in the committee, we’re going to report the nomination out of the committee to the floor of the United States Senate so we can vote before the election.”
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The Post notes that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), aka Saggy NeckFace, would only reveal that they would hold a floor vote “this year” on President Trump’s nominee to replace Ginsburg.
Trump has been hellbent on replacing Ginsburg and has already claimed that his pick would be a woman, but he is also a habitual liar.
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“Republicans, who hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, need at least 50 votes to confirm a nominee,” the Post reports. Shaky Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have already noted that they wouldn’t confirm a justice before the presidential election on Nov. 3, but that doesn’t matter now as no other Republican is willing to stand with them and that includes Mitt-ass nigga Mitt Romney who loves to play the “I’m not like the rest of them, except I’m totally like the rest of them” with his Mitt-ass.
The only other two possibles even mentioned in voting alongside Collins and Murkowski were Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Cory Gardner of Colorado, who both reportedly drank* goat blood out of a chalice and swore that they wouldn’t go against the orange oath.**
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*I have no idea if the blood was from a goat.
**Fine, this didn’t happen.


theroot--2020-09-22--Workout Like Nobody's Business With a $60 Pair Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Earbuds

So you ’ re picking up running during quarantine , huh ?
Well so am I .
While I use @ @ @ @ @ ’ ll enjoy a pair of Jabra Elite Active 45E Wireless Earbuds .
They ’ @ @ @ @ @ original list price ( $ 60 ) at Best Buy and offers up to nine @ @ @ @ @ on one charge .
Not only that , but you can also take these bad @ @ @ @ @ meter for about 30 minutes !
I ’ d grab em ’ before they ’ @ @ @

Ignacia on Kinja Deals, shared by Ignacia to The Root

Jabra Elite Active 45e Wireless Earbuds | $60 | Best Buy
So you’re picking up running during quarantine, huh? Well so am I. While I use my AirPods, maybe you’ll enjoy a pair of Jabra Elite Active 45E Wireless Earbuds. They’re $40 off the original list price ($60) at Best Buy and offers up to nine hours of talking and playback on one charge. Not only that, but you can also take these bad boys swimming up to one meter for about 30 minutes! I’d grab em’ before they’re gone!


theroot--2020-09-22--The Safe Negro Guide to Lovecraft Country: 'Meet Me in Daegu'

Welcome back to Lovecraft Country—we are past the halfway point of the season ’ s journey !
I can totally see Misha Green in her writers ’ room , saying , “ Give me K-Horror , but make it BLACK !
” What I am really enjoying is how the show ’ s creators are throwing all of these different , well-developed worlds and storylines at us , confident we can keep up .
They refuse to underestimate the intelligence of their audience , and it is a pleasure to see our attention spans fully appreciated with the rigor and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes details only their horror-savvy and Korean audience would detect .
For example , the title of the show and episode appear followed by the untranslated Korean phrase “ 구미호 ” ( “ kumiho ” ) , which immediately announces the kind of creature Ji-Ah is , but only to those who can read Korean .
Now , even I can admit this episode threw me by immersing us in the dynamics of the Korean War—which is ironic since the war is important to my own family ’ s lore .
In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the U.S. government to prevent my grandfather from being conscripted as a soldier .
So , I literally exist because Black NOLA nuns DGAF , and because clearly everyone knew my grandfather was smart as a whip—but couldn ’ t fight worth a damn .
It wasn ’ t his blessing .
But back to our journey ...
I enjoyed this episode ( though multiple Korean-descended people I spoke with found it problematic AF ) ; I especially appreciated the time we got to spend with Ji-Ah getting to know her quirks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to land a date contrasted with her ease in finding a quick hook-up ... it showed that little changes no matter your time period or your culture .
It was so relatable , you may not have noticed that we didn ’ t hear English ( apart from the Judy Garland films and quotations ) until 27 minutes into the episode .
Likewise , I want to take the time to tease out both the cultural similarities and differences this episode exposes as I work with my overarching theory that all cultures have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ natural philosophy , ” cosmologies , and mythologies that can empower them against colonizers ... especially when the colonizers haven ’ t managed to steal the information .
Blood remains a powerful signifier across all of the magic systems we have encountered so far .
Tic is a necessary blood sacrifice in Episode 2 : “ Whitey ’ s On the Moon ” because he is a direct descendent of Titus Braithwaite .
We also saw this in Episode 3 : “ Holy Ghost , ” and subsequently at the beginning of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when Christina was barred from entering the Winthrop House because the Mambo had “ fed the door ” with the blood of a goat .
Blood sacrifice at the entry of a home is one of the most powerful protective ebos one can do for their household .
In Episode 4 , Yahima is trapped as Titus ’ relic because he binds her with blood sacrifice through the massacre of her ethnic group , the Arawak people ( and Montrose does so again , when he kills her ) .
And finally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to pay her mother Soon Hee ’ s spiritual debt—earned by calling forth a kumiho to kill her husband for sexually assaulting her daughter—through the blood sacrifice ( hell , blood explosion ) of 100 men , along with their souls .
The kumiho is not only a nine-tailed fox that manifests in the form of a highly sexualized , beautiful woman ; in Korean mythology , she is considered evil as she punishes errant male behavior .
I interviewed Dr. Youngtae Shin , a professor of Political Science , who explained that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is like a fox [ as in foxy ] is not a compliment , ” placing the word “ fox ” closer to “ bitch ” .
Dr. Shin explained all of this beautifully—in Korean characters , no less—but since my knowledge of Korean is nil and I don ’ t know how to embed screenshots , y ’ all are getting these translations .
In this episode , the mythology of the kumiho becomes heavily intertwined with that of the “ Comfort Woman ” to expose a particularly insidious stereotype about Korean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deeming swaths of Korean women as disposable to the Japanese Imperial Army , the U.S. Military , and , later , a complicit Korean government .
This episode is grounded in the question of what bodies are considered disposable .
There are the men upon which Ji-Ah preys ; they are simply numbers to her and her umma ( mother ) .
The Korean citizens in her graduating class of nurses prove as disposable to the U.S. soldiers as the aforementioned men—shots to the head are doled out like candy as they search @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And yet , the Black American soldiers are equally disposable to the American Imperialism project of protecting its global assets ( in this case , South Korea ) as we encounter Tic in a hospital bed , scared and frustrated because his body is as broken as his glasses .
Still , the most intimate act of disposal is conducted by Soon Hee herself , as her own daughter ’ s soul becomes collateral damage in enacting her revenge , allowing the kumiho to wear Ji-Ah ’ s skin as her umma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affection out of the guilt associated with her daughter ’ s sacrifice .
And it is here that we see how deeply Ji-Ah ’ s relationship with Soon Hee mirrors that of Tic ’ s relationship with Montrose .
Both relationships center on a misplaced impetus for parental protection .
So far , each of Montrose ’ s protective actions towards Tic has ended in blood .
We have already discussed Yahima ’ s fate at his hands , but even his thwarted yet catalytic attempt to send a letter to Tic as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son and results in his brother dying in his arms from a gunshot wound .
In both Soon Hee and Montrose , we see the frustration of a parent wanting to protect their child but unable to do so within the structural hierarchies of the dominant culture .
They are unable to protect their respective children because they are crippled by their own traumas ; unable to remove the plank in their eye that so deeply skews their vision of what is just .
Ji-Ah ’ s umma can not separate the guilt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : not simply to the kumiho , but first to the husband who would rescue her from the shame of single motherhood .
But I would also like to push this further , as we must hold Soon Hee ’ s desperate choice to marry an unknown man in order to bring legitimacy to her household in balance with the reality that men provide economic security—a reality reflected in the food insecurity that defines almost every interaction between the now-widowed Soon Hee and Ji-Ah .
As Ji-Ah arrives at the base for her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his friend , “ Does Atticus think I am a comfort woman ?
” He makes it clear that there is no other reason for any Korean to be allowed on base .
I discussed this with Dr. Khary Polk , an associate professor of Black Studies & Sexuality , Women ’ s and Gender Studies at Amherst College .
Polk defines comfort women as women who were forced into forms of institutionalized sexual slavery before , during , and after World War II .
A Zoom conversation with Film Studies professor Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book , Seoul Searching : Culture and Identity in Contemporary Korean Cinema ( 2007 ) , in which she wrote : Two points must be gleaned from the socioeconomic and military importance of the comfort woman : First , this practice was state-sanctioned and institutionalized by the Japanese colonizers , who had completely obliterated the previous Korean governmental system between 1910 and 1945 .
Second , the term “ comfort woman ” became problematically conflated with Korean women who were commercial sex workers—or just any Korean woman who dated , married , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Issues of the sexual availability of Korean women arose with the explosion of kijichon , or camp towns , that surrounded American military bases and provided services—laundry , food , bars , brothels , etc.—for the GIs .
Unsurprisingly , the most popular destinations were the brothels , which were sanctioned by the U.S. military ( though they had plausible deniability ) to the extent that they were mandatorily segregated .
Dr. Polk explains that the robust sexual economy created by the U.S. military modernized the exploitation structures created by the Japanese Imperial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Korean government and society scorned the women who operated in this sexual economy—sex workers , service workers , and girlfriends alike—the Korean government nevertheless needed the American money they received from American GIs to support and revive the national economy .
It is this cultural noise associated with Korean womanhood that defines Ji-Ah ’ s inability to connect with the men she encounters .
It is not because she is a kumiho that she fails to win a date , as we see her easily seduce her first victim ; it is her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placed upon Korean women to be eligible for an appropriate marriage prospect .
It ’ s not that Ji-Ah is inhuman , it is that she isn ’ t allowed to be fully human—the awkward Judy Garland fan she truly is—within such narrow limitations of Korean womanhood .
She is admonished by one prospective beau for enjoying Hollywood and pitied by another who shares an equal love of Garland even as he recognizes he could never bring Ji-Ah home to his mother .
She is a social outcast for her very humanity , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as suspicious .
This is reinforced in her conversations with her close friend Young-Ja , who plays the game of the appropriate Korean young woman by lying and pretending .
Though she is revealed to be a spy , I also read her as a queer woman , another outsider .
Young-Ja ’ s admiration of Ji-Ah ’ s earnestness , her admonishment of Ji-Ah ’ s umma—paired with her acceptance of her own difference and her fierce refusal to be vilified for it shows Ji-Ah has the capacity for human connection well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Young-Ja as her best friend ; Young-Ja clearly returns the affection as seen in her sacrifice of herself for Ji-Ah ’ s life likewise , Ji-Ah is determined to avenge the murder of her friend , demonstrating the mutuality of their love for each other .
This fulfills one of the classic themes in Korean horror , according to Gateward—a story that centers a female protagonist that pivots on friendship and sisterhood .
It is not Ji-Ah ’ s relationship with Tic that reveals her humanity ; she was already on that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Young-Ja , her friend .
Tic and Ji-Ah connect as outsiders in wars both physical and spiritual , hinged on their participation in blood sacrifice as both victim and perpetrator .
In the end , the pairing of Tic and Ji-Ah makes sense because as a kumiho she is a mythical comfort woman ; denigrated and made a pariah , yet vital to the culture that creates her .
As a Black GI , Tic is similarly needed by an American empire that loathes his very existence .
There is kinship in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ countries that sanction both the violence they enact and the violence visited upon them .
Glossary : a list of terms and descriptions to help you along your journey into Lovecraft Country .
Adjusted Service Ratings Score - A points-based rotation system that allowed soldiers to earn their way out of conscripted service .
Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton , a Black military historian , explains that if a soldier was injured in a certain way , they could earn enough points to go home ; some soldiers would volunteer for dangerous missions or other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leave early .
This is what Tic meant when he told Ji-Ah he had enough points to return home and invited her to return with him .
Korean War & Black Soldiers - Lots of Black men who served in WWII either stayed in the armed services , serving in Japan , or were eager to be called back as the Korean War began because the pay was dependable and relatively high .
Dr. Ducksworth-Lawton explains that many eldest sons of those lost in WWII , as young as 15 or 16 enlisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The young privates would often be placed under an older , more experienced 1st Sergeant who would take charge of the teenagers and teach them life skills beyond simply how to survive in the army .
Black Soldiers & The Civil Rights Movement - Dr. Polk connects the veterans of the Korean War period ( post-WWII ) directly with the modern civil rights movement as Black folks gained the critical consciousness to understand racism at home and the determination to fight it .
Some famous 1950s veterans who became involved were Rep. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sarah Keys Evans .
Dr. Ducksworth-Lawton furthers this assertion , placing Korean War vets at the vanguard of a certain politic of protection in the Black community ( Negroes with Guns ; 1962 ) , Deacons for Defense and Justice ) as they were the only Black folks allowed to be armed .
They would often organize armed systems of defense against white racial terror .
Unfortunately , this also made them a highly visible target of retaliation ( see the life and works of Robert F. Williams ) .
K-Horror - a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Korea .
Dr. Gateward believes Lovecraft Country writers have “ drawn from some of the more well-known Korean horror movies as they often center female protagonists and issues of friendship and/or sisterhood.
” Mudang - A priestess or shaman of Korea ’ s traditional Indigenous religion , Muism .
The mudang is possessed by a spirit or god that embues her with spiritual powers .
She is often employed to offer a soul safe passage to heaven .
Dr. Shin also highlights that mundang often dance to expel evil spirits .
Recommendations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you would like to take a deeper dive , here are some media suggestions that will help you better understand the Lovecraftian universe and other themes in this episode .
The Woman Outside : Korean Women and the U.S. Military ( 1995 ) , Hye Jung Park & J.T .
Takagi Mudang : Reconciliation Between The Living and The Dead ( 2003 ) , Park Ki-bok A Life in The Struggle : Ivory Perry and the Culture of Opposition ( 1995 ) , George Lipsitz

Kinitra D. Brooks on The Grapevine, shared by Kinitra D. Brooks to The Root

Welcome back to Lovecraft Country—we are past the halfway point of the season’s journey! I can totally see Misha Green in her writers’ room, saying, “Give me K-Horror, but make it BLACK!” What I am really enjoying is how the show’s creators are throwing all of these different, well-developed worlds and storylines at us, confident we can keep up. They refuse to underestimate the intelligence of their audience, and it is a pleasure to see our attention spans fully appreciated with the rigor and minutiae packed into this episode—much of which includes details only their horror-savvy and Korean audience would detect.
“Here or there, I will always be seen as a foreigner.” — Korean-American Soldier to Ji-Ah
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For example, the title of the show and episode appear followed by the untranslated Korean phrase “구미호” (“kumiho”), which immediately announces the kind of creature Ji-Ah is, but only to those who can read Korean. Now, even I can admit this episode threw me by immersing us in the dynamics of the Korean War—which is ironic since the war is important to my own family’s lore. In fact, the nuns at Xavier University lied to the U.S. government to prevent my grandfather from being conscripted as a soldier. So, I literally exist because Black NOLA nuns DGAF, and because clearly everyone knew my grandfather was smart as a whip—but couldn’t fight worth a damn. It wasn’t his blessing.
But back to our journey...
I enjoyed this episode (though multiple Korean-descended people I spoke with found it problematic AF); I especially appreciated the time we got to spend with Ji-Ah getting to know her quirks, her family life, and inability to land a date contrasted with her ease in finding a quick hook-up...it showed that little changes no matter your time period or your culture. It was so relatable, you may not have noticed that we didn’t hear English (apart from the Judy Garland films and quotations) until 27 minutes into the episode. Likewise, I want to take the time to tease out both the cultural similarities and differences this episode exposes as I work with my overarching theory that all cultures have different systems of what the series calls “natural philosophy,” cosmologies, and mythologies that can empower them against colonizers...especially when the colonizers haven’t managed to steal the information.
Advertisement Advertisement
“The Japanese spent 50 years eradicating our traditions and culture and you spend your time consuming American propaganda?” — Potential date to Ji-Ah
Blood remains a powerful signifier across all of the magic systems we have encountered so far. Tic is a necessary blood sacrifice in Episode 2: “Whitey’s On the Moon” because he is a direct descendent of Titus Braithwaite. We also saw this in Episode 3: “Holy Ghost,” and subsequently at the beginning of Episode 4: A History of Violence when Christina was barred from entering the Winthrop House because the Mambo had “fed the door” with the blood of a goat. Blood sacrifice at the entry of a home is one of the most powerful protective ebos one can do for their household.
Advertisement
In Episode 4, Yahima is trapped as Titus’ relic because he binds her with blood sacrifice through the massacre of her ethnic group, the Arawak people (and Montrose does so again, when he kills her). And finally, in Episode 6, Ji-Ah is forced to pay her mother Soon Hee’s spiritual debt—earned by calling forth a kumiho to kill her husband for sexually assaulting her daughter—through the blood sacrifice (hell, blood explosion) of 100 men, along with their souls.
“You want me to kill like a monster to become human.” — Ji-Ah to Soon Hee
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The kumiho is not only a nine-tailed fox that manifests in the form of a highly sexualized, beautiful woman; in Korean mythology, she is considered evil as she punishes errant male behavior. I interviewed Dr. Youngtae Shin, a professor of Political Science, who explained that “in Korea [saying] she is like a fox [as in foxy] is not a compliment,” placing the word “fox” closer to “bitch”. Dr. Shin explained all of this beautifully—in Korean characters, no less—but since my knowledge of Korean is nil and I don’t know how to embed screenshots, y’all are getting these translations.
“Deep in the mountainous forest lives a nine-tailed fox spirit called a kumiho. The spirit can be summoned into the form of a beautiful woman, to avenge the wrong done by men. “ — Ji-Ah to Tic
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In this episode, the mythology of the kumiho becomes heavily intertwined with that of the “Comfort Woman” to expose a particularly insidious stereotype about Korean female sexuality as unbridled and for sale—ultimately deeming swaths of Korean women as disposable to the Japanese Imperial Army, the U.S. Military, and, later, a complicit Korean government.
This episode is grounded in the question of what bodies are considered disposable. There are the men upon which Ji-Ah preys; they are simply numbers to her and her umma (mother). The Korean citizens in her graduating class of nurses prove as disposable to the U.S. soldiers as the aforementioned men—shots to the head are doled out like candy as they search for the Communist spy in their midst. And yet, the Black American soldiers are equally disposable to the American Imperialism project of protecting its global assets (in this case, South Korea) as we encounter Tic in a hospital bed, scared and frustrated because his body is as broken as his glasses.
Advertisement
“Then why do you fight for a country that doesn’t want you?” — Ji-Ah to Tic and his Friend
Still, the most intimate act of disposal is conducted by Soon Hee herself, as her own daughter’s soul becomes collateral damage in enacting her revenge, allowing the kumiho to wear Ji-Ah’s skin as her umma plies her with rich foods and misplaced affection out of the guilt associated with her daughter’s sacrifice.
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And it is here that we see how deeply Ji-Ah’s relationship with Soon Hee mirrors that of Tic’s relationship with Montrose. Both relationships center on a misplaced impetus for parental protection. So far, each of Montrose’s protective actions towards Tic has ended in blood. We have already discussed Yahima’s fate at his hands, but even his thwarted yet catalytic attempt to send a letter to Tic as a warning to stay away endangers his son and results in his brother dying in his arms from a gunshot wound.
“Sometimes mothers want what’s best for them not what’s best for us.” — Young-Ja to Ji-Ah
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In both Soon Hee and Montrose, we see the frustration of a parent wanting to protect their child but unable to do so within the structural hierarchies of the dominant culture. They are unable to protect their respective children because they are crippled by their own traumas; unable to remove the plank in their eye that so deeply skews their vision of what is just. Ji-Ah’s umma cannot separate the guilt she feels in twice sacrificing her daughter: not simply to the kumiho, but first to the husband who would rescue her from the shame of single motherhood. But I would also like to push this further, as we must hold Soon Hee’s desperate choice to marry an unknown man in order to bring legitimacy to her household in balance with the reality that men provide economic security—a reality reflected in the food insecurity that defines almost every interaction between the now-widowed Soon Hee and Ji-Ah.
“The only way for this family to be whole again is for you to bring home men.” — Soon Hee to Ji-Ah
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As Ji-Ah arrives at the base for her first date with Atticus, she asks his friend, “Does Atticus think I am a comfort woman?” He makes it clear that there is no other reason for any Korean to be allowed on base. I discussed this with Dr. Khary Polk, an associate professor of Black Studies & Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College. Polk defines comfort women as women who were forced into forms of institutionalized sexual slavery before, during, and after World War II. A Zoom conversation with Film Studies professor Dr. Frances Gateward revealed more detail from her book, Seoul Searching: Culture and Identity in Contemporary Korean Cinema (2007), in which she wrote:
From 1932 to 1945, an estimated 200,000 women and girls, some as young as twelve, were forced into institutionalized sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army. Women...were shipped like military supplies to camps throughout Asia to serve the Japanese army as jungan ianfu, a euphemism that translates as “comfort women.” These mostly poor and uneducated women—kidnapped, drafted, and recruited by false promises of factory employment—were sent to camps where they were subjected daily to multiple rapes by Japanese soldiers.
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“He knew what you would allow him to do. All to rescue you from shame and disgrace.” — Ji-Ah to Soon Hee
Two points must be gleaned from the socioeconomic and military importance of the comfort woman: First, this practice was state-sanctioned and institutionalized by the Japanese colonizers, who had completely obliterated the previous Korean governmental system between 1910 and 1945. Second, the term “comfort woman” became problematically conflated with Korean women who were commercial sex workers—or just any Korean woman who dated, married, or even associated with American soldiers post-WWII. Issues of the sexual availability of Korean women arose with the explosion of kijichon, or camp towns, that surrounded American military bases and provided services—laundry, food, bars, brothels, etc.—for the GIs.
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Unsurprisingly, the most popular destinations were the brothels, which were sanctioned by the U.S. military (though they had plausible deniability) to the extent that they were mandatorily segregated. Dr. Polk explains that the robust sexual economy created by the U.S. military modernized the exploitation structures created by the Japanese Imperial Army. And though many in the Korean government and society scorned the women who operated in this sexual economy—sex workers, service workers, and girlfriends alike—the Korean government nevertheless needed the American money they received from American GIs to support and revive the national economy.
It is this cultural noise associated with Korean womanhood that defines Ji-Ah’s inability to connect with the men she encounters. It is not because she is a kumiho that she fails to win a date, as we see her easily seduce her first victim; it is her inability to fulfill all the impossible expectations placed upon Korean women to be eligible for an appropriate marriage prospect. It’s not that Ji-Ah is inhuman, it is that she isn’t allowed to be fully human—the awkward Judy Garland fan she truly is—within such narrow limitations of Korean womanhood. She is admonished by one prospective beau for enjoying Hollywood and pitied by another who shares an equal love of Garland even as he recognizes he could never bring Ji-Ah home to his mother. She is a social outcast for her very humanity, her affable yet palpable difference is seen as suspicious.
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“There is nothing wrong with being different. What’s wrong is all of them vilifying us for it.” — Young-Ja to Ji-Ah
This is reinforced in her conversations with her close friend Young-Ja, who plays the game of the appropriate Korean young woman by lying and pretending. Though she is revealed to be a spy, I also read her as a queer woman, another outsider. Young-Ja’s admiration of Ji-Ah’s earnestness, her admonishment of Ji-Ah’s umma—paired with her acceptance of her own difference and her fierce refusal to be vilified for it shows Ji-Ah has the capacity for human connection well before she encounters Tic. Ji-Ah refers to Young-Ja as her best friend; Young-Ja clearly returns the affection as seen in her sacrifice of herself for Ji-Ah’s life likewise, Ji-Ah is determined to avenge the murder of her friend, demonstrating the mutuality of their love for each other.
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“We could be the people we see in each other. We just have to choose to be.” — Ji-Ah to Tic
This fulfills one of the classic themes in Korean horror, according to Gateward—a story that centers a female protagonist that pivots on friendship and sisterhood. It is not Ji-Ah’s relationship with Tic that reveals her humanity; she was already on that journey, having forged a human connection with Young-Ja, her friend. Tic and Ji-Ah connect as outsiders in wars both physical and spiritual, hinged on their participation in blood sacrifice as both victim and perpetrator.
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In the end, the pairing of Tic and Ji-Ah makes sense because as a kumiho she is a mythical comfort woman; denigrated and made a pariah, yet vital to the culture that creates her. As a Black GI, Tic is similarly needed by an American empire that loathes his very existence. There is kinship in their experiences of expendability and the respective countries that sanction both the violence they enact and the violence visited upon them.
“We have both done monstrous things. But we are not monsters.” — Ji-Ah to Tic
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Glossary: a list of terms and descriptions to help you along your journey into Lovecraft Country.
Adjusted Service Ratings Score - A points-based rotation system that allowed soldiers to earn their way out of conscripted service. Dr. Selika Ducksworth-Lawton, a Black military historian, explains that if a soldier was injured in a certain way, they could earn enough points to go home; some soldiers would volunteer for dangerous missions or other high-value activities to earn a chance to leave early. This is what Tic meant when he told Ji-Ah he had enough points to return home and invited her to return with him.
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Korean War & Black Soldiers - Lots of Black men who served in WWII either stayed in the armed services, serving in Japan, or were eager to be called back as the Korean War began because the pay was dependable and relatively high. Dr. Ducksworth-Lawton explains that many eldest sons of those lost in WWII, as young as 15 or 16 enlisted in the war to support their families. The young privates would often be placed under an older, more experienced 1st Sergeant who would take charge of the teenagers and teach them life skills beyond simply how to survive in the army.
Black Soldiers & The Civil Rights Movement - Dr. Polk connects the veterans of the Korean War period (post-WWII) directly with the modern civil rights movement as Black folks gained the critical consciousness to understand racism at home and the determination to fight it. Some famous 1950s veterans who became involved were Rep. Charles Rangel, Amiri Baraka, and Sarah Keys Evans. Dr. Ducksworth-Lawton furthers this assertion, placing Korean War vets at the vanguard of a certain politic of protection in the Black community (Negroes with Guns; 1962), Deacons for Defense and Justice) as they were the only Black folks allowed to be armed. They would often organize armed systems of defense against white racial terror. Unfortunately, this also made them a highly visible target of retaliation (see the life and works of Robert F. Williams).
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K-Horror - a popular subgenre of horror featuring films from South Korea. Dr. Gateward believes Lovecraft Country writers have “drawn from some of the more well-known Korean horror movies as they often center female protagonists and issues of friendship and/or sisterhood.”
Mudang - A priestess or shaman of Korea’s traditional Indigenous religion, Muism. The mudang is possessed by a spirit or god that embues her with spiritual powers. She is often employed to offer a soul safe passage to heaven. Dr. Shin also highlights that mundang often dance to expel evil spirits.
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Recommendations: If your interest is piqued and you would like to take a deeper dive, here are some media suggestions that will help you better understand the Lovecraftian universe and other themes in this episode.
Film:
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), Vicente Minnelli
Summer Stock (1950), Charles Walters
The Woman Outside: Korean Women and the U.S. Military (1995), Hye Jung Park & J.T. Takagi
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Whispering Corridors: Film Series (1998-2020), various directors
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), Jee-Woon Kim
Mudang: Reconciliation Between The Living and The Dead (2003), Park Ki-bok
Television:
Kingdom (2019-)
Reference:
A Life in The Struggle: Ivory Perry and the Culture of Opposition (1995), George Lipsitz
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Sex Among Allies: Military Prostitution in U.S.-Korea Relations (1997), Katherine H.S. Moon


theroot--2020-09-23--'Vote Loud,' Make Change: Gucci Changemakers Partners With Michelle Obama's When We All Vote

If nothing else , our past two election cycles have made abundantly clear that in order to truly make substantive change in America , perhaps the most crucial demographics we need to engage in our political process is young and marginalized voters—specifically , BIPOC voters ages 18-24 .
After all , as 24-year-old Zendaya reminded us while making history as the youngest-ever winner in her Emmy category on Sunday night , “ there is hope in the young people.
” Gucci clearly thinks so ; after launching their Changemakers initiative last year , the luxury brand proudly announced the inaugural @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , the label is bringing its legendary approach to style to both a younger generation and a very trendsetting venue : the ballot box .
On Wednesday , Gucci Changemakers North America announced a partnership with Michelle Obama ’ s celebrity-chaired nonprofit , nonpartisan organization When We All Vote ( WWAV ) .
As the brand explained in a release shared with The Glow Up , the collaboration was “ created to encourage our North American # GucciCommunity to vote in the 2020 presidential election.
” Funding from Gucci Changemakers North America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Vote Loud campaign , encouraging the next generation to use the power of their voice and their vote .
The focus is not on who people are voting for , but that 18 to 24-year-olds are exercising their fundamental right to vote .
As part of the partnership , Gucci and When We All Vote will create a branded voting registration portal that will be used both internally and externally to increase voter registration leading up to the election .
To further support the Gucci Community , we will create an internal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ act as ambassadors , informing our internal community and becoming advocates within their own local communities .
“ We ’ ve got to do a better job of speaking directly to the motivations and unique challenges that young and first-time voters face around voting , ” says When We All Vote Co-Chair Michelle Obama .
“ That ’ s a big part of the reason why I created When We All Vote—to spark important conversations , share critical resources , and make sure people get registered and get out to vote .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to encourage and work with the next generation to really change the culture around voting.
” As explained to us by When We All Vote , Vote Loud is a new initiative developed by Creative Alliance and Anomaly “ to rally youth to show up at the polls in the most important presidential election of our time.
” During the 2016 presidential election , 43 % of eligible voters , nearly 100 million people , did not vote .
Let that sink in .
Statistically , young voters and marginalized communities face the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through active voter suppression or lack of information , they often aren ’ t able to make their voices heard .
Vote Loud aims to change this statistic by tackling barriers unique to marginalized voters ( specifically BIPOC voters aged 18-24 ) by meeting them where they are through strategic placements of a number of films and user-friendly voting resources .
“ This generation of American voters has the power to shape our democracy for the unforeseeable future , ” says Stephanie Young , When We All Vote Chief Officer of Communications and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reaching young people where they are to remind them of the power of their voice.
” To celebrate the partnership in style , Gucci commissioned Class of 2020 Changemakers Scholar recipients Celeste Nicole , Gideon Gomm , and Kaya Ugorji to create illustrations using varied mediums “ that all speak to the optimism and passion of our nation ’ s young people , further supporting the next generation , ” says the brand .
“ This election season , Gucci remains committed to doing our part to help ensure that every voice is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the brand .
“ At our core , we believe that when we all vote , we are # Changemakers who can make a difference in our communities and our country.
” The Glow Up tip : The next round of applications for the Gucci North America Changemakers Scholarship Program will open in Fall 2020 .
For more information about the Gucci Changemakers Initiatives applications and eligibility requirements , please visit their website or call 1-877-482-2430 .

Maiysha Kai on The Glow Up, shared by Maiysha Kai to The Root

If nothing else, our past two election cycles have made abundantly clear that in order to truly make substantive change in America, perhaps the most crucial demographics we need to engage in our political process is young and marginalized voters—specifically, BIPOC voters ages 18-24. After all, as 24-year-old Zendaya reminded us while making history as the youngest-ever winner in her Emmy category on Sunday night, “there is hope in the young people.”
Gucci clearly thinks so; after launching their Changemakers initiative last year, the luxury brand proudly announced the inaugural class of Changemakers Scholars in June. Now, the label is bringing its legendary approach to style to both a younger generation and a very trendsetting venue: the ballot box. On Wednesday, Gucci Changemakers North America announced a partnership with Michelle Obama’s celebrity-chaired nonprofit, nonpartisan organization When We All Vote (WWAV). As the brand explained in a release shared with The Glow Up, the collaboration was “created to encourage our North American #GucciCommunity to vote in the 2020 presidential election.”
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Via the release :
Funding from Gucci Changemakers North America will be used to support WWAV’s Vote Loud campaign, encouraging the next generation to use the power of their voice and their vote. The focus is not on who people are voting for, but that 18 to 24-year-olds are exercising their fundamental right to vote. As part of the partnership, Gucci and When We All Vote will create a branded voting registration portal that will be used both internally and externally to increase voter registration leading up to the election. To further support the Gucci Community, we will create an internal Voting Squad composed of employees that will act as ambassadors, informing our internal community and becoming advocates within their own local communities.
Advertisement Advertisement
“We’ve got to do a better job of speaking directly to the motivations and unique challenges that young and first-time voters face around voting,” says When We All Vote Co-Chair Michelle Obama. “That’s a big part of the reason why I created When We All Vote—to spark important conversations, share critical resources, and make sure people get registered and get out to vote. It’s up to all of us to encourage and work with the next generation to really change the culture around voting.”
As explained to us by When We All Vote, Vote Loud is a new initiative developed by Creative Alliance and Anomaly “to rally youth to show up at the polls in the most important presidential election of our time.”
Advertisement
Per a statement from WWAV:
During the 2016 presidential election, 43% of eligible voters, nearly 100 million people, did not vote. Let that sink in. Statistically, young voters and marginalized communities face the highest barriers to voting, and whether through active voter suppression or lack of information, they often aren’t able to make their voices heard. Vote Loud aims to change this statistic by tackling barriers unique to marginalized voters (specifically BIPOC voters aged 18-24) by meeting them where they are through strategic placements of a number of films and user-friendly voting resources.
Advertisement
“This generation of American voters has the power to shape our democracy for the unforeseeable future,” says Stephanie Young, When We All Vote Chief Officer of Communications and Culture. “We are committed to reaching young people where they are to remind them of the power of their voice.”
To celebrate the partnership in style, Gucci commissioned Class of 2020 Changemakers Scholar recipients Celeste Nicole, Gideon Gomm, and Kaya Ugorji to create illustrations using varied mediums “that all speak to the optimism and passion of our nation’s young people, further supporting the next generation,” says the brand.
“This election season, Gucci remains committed to doing our part to help ensure that every voice is heard,” reads a statement from the brand. “At our core, we believe that when we all vote, we are #Changemakers who can make a difference in our communities and our country.”
Advertisement
Gucci’s voting registration portal is open now.
The Glow Up tip: The next round of applications for the Gucci North America Changemakers Scholarship Program will open in Fall 2020. For more information about the Gucci Changemakers Initiatives applications and eligibility requirements, please visit their website or call 1-877-482-2430.


theroot--2020-09-23--The Apple Watch Series 6 Is Already $15 Off

It ’ s only been out a week since launch and we ’ re already seeing discounts on the Apple @ @ @ @ @ has some 40mm models down to $ 385 , while the 44mm falls to $ @ @ @ @ @ 15 off and shipping anywhere between 1-4 weeks out .
The Apple Watch Series 6 @ @ @ @ @ as far as technology is confirmed .
It features everything you love about the Series @ @ @ @ @ heart rate sensor , and also adds new tricks like a blood oxygen sensor and @ @ @ @ @ it more ideal than ever for fitness buffs .

Quentyn Kennemer on Kinja Deals, shared by Gabe Carey to The Root

Apple Watch Series 6 (44mm) | $415 | Amazon
Apple Watch Series 6 (40mm) | $385 | Amazon
It’s only been out a week since launch and we’re already seeing discounts on the Apple Watch Series 6. Amazon has some 40mm models down to $37 5, while the 44mm falls to $415, both about $20 off and shipping anywhere between 1-4 weeks out.
The Apple Watch Series 6 runs laps around the competition as far as technology is confirmed. It features everything you love about the Series 5 watch like an ECG heart rate sensor, and also adds new tricks like a blood oxygen sensor and an always-on altimeter, making it more ideal than ever for fitness buffs.


theroot--2020-09-23--Even Joel Embiid’s Biggest Hater Can’t Deny the Greatness of His First Signature Sneaker

I hate Joel Embiid .
I hate Joel Embiid as much as one is capable of hating a total stranger who hasn ’ t done like , war crimes or something .
Hating Joel Embiid comes easy to me .
When he ’ s good he ’ s an infuriating presence on the court ( my blood pressure is still suffering from his airplane antics in last year ’ s NBA playoffs ) and when he ’ s bad—like , say , when he ’ s held scoreless by Marc Gasol when playing against my beloved Toronto Raptors—it ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a transparently fraudulent player , as a would-be great who can ’ t get his act all the way together for his team For what it ’ s worth , it ’ s also easy to hate him because there ’ s very little to actually get mad at him over off-court .
Embiid , my general hatred/Raptors bias aside , seems like a perfectly decent dude who ’ s charming off-court and genuinely funny in those goofy Hulu commercials .
Still .
Rivalries are rivalries and after Embiid ’ s Sixers took @ @ @ @ @ @ @ playoffs series full of trash talk last year ( which , I ’ ll remind you , they lost via Game 7 buzzer-beater to the eventual champions , my beloved Toronto Raptors , leaving Embiid literally weeping in Marc Gasol ’ s arms ) I knew I had a Number One Enemy For Life in the Sixers ’ gigantic center .
So when Embiid ’ s first signature shoe via Under Armour , the Embiid One , was announced earlier this year I couldn ’ t have been less interested .
Joel Embiid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ got a signature shoe before fellow Philly legend Kyle Lowry , 2019 NBA Champion and The King In The North ?
Disgusting .
Shameful .
A pox upon the sneaker world for this , from my lips to God ’ s ears .
Then I saw the shoe , and man , I truly hate to type these words but my interest was piqued .
The silhouette reminded me quite a bit of the Nike Kyrie 3 , one of my all-time favorite basketball sneakers , and slowly I started to keep my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the release date drew nearer .
The word from sneaker YouTubers and critics alike was positive .
Maybe ... MAYBE I would have to check this sneaker out .
But don ’ t get me wrong ; I ’ d be doing so fully prepared to hate on it as much as I hate on Joel Embiid .
I first realized my hater days might be numbered when I took the shoebox out of the package .
Packaging design may not have much to do with wearability but it can be the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ great .
The box is covered in a sort of graphic heatwave design that catches the eye and plays into the silhouette , making for a satisfying piece of storytelling ( not to be pretentious but storytelling is vital in making a sneaker great ! )
to go along with my least favorite basketball player in the world ’ s first signature shoe .
Something that tends to get overlooked when discussing how a basketball sneaker is designed is how the design relates to the player ’ s position .
While Embiid has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ times , he largely serves as one of the more domineering centers in the modern NBA .
Centers are big guys who post up near the hoop and try to block anyone from going for a layup or shot from the paint .
Usually a shoe , being catered to the needs of the athlete it ’ s designed for , will prioritize sneaker tech advantageous to their position .
That is , shockingly , not the case with the Embiid One ( and perhaps why it works so well for me personally—I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tend to take up wing or point guard positions rather than posting up as a center ) .
The sneaker , according to Under Armour , is designed as a five-position shoe , providing benefits for all positions on the court .
In fact , there are rumors that besides Embiid , the other primary wear tester as the shoe went through development was Under Armour athlete and Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry ( a point guard ) .
That ’ s evident in the shoe ’ s flexibility and light weight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and fast dashes , though it ’ s got plenty of cushioning for jumpers and bigger hoopers .
That cushioning is a fusion of UA ’ s two most popular , HOVR tech and Micro G. Micro G is placed in the forefoot of the shoe , a light weight material that makes for super responsive push-off .
The heel is comprised of HOVR , heavier and denser in order to cushion your feet when they hit the ground or drop from a jump .
It ’ s a killer combo , hard @ @ @ @ @ @ @ makes for a great five-position sneaker .
If there ’ s a downside to this basketball shoe it ’ s that it ’ s ... well , it ’ s a basketball shoe , not a hybrid lifestyle-basketball shoe .
Athletes like Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook have made a name for themselves in the sneaker game over the last few years by wearing signature sneakers that look just as good when worn casually as they do off-court .
The Embiid isn ’ t some ugly behemoth by any means ( and hey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aesthetically appealing ) but right now it definitely works best as a performance sneaker , not one for casual wear .
I ’ m probably never going to be an out and out Joel Embiid fan , even if he were to join the Raptors .
But my hatred of him is largely superficial - like I said , he ’ s a talented player who seems like a good dude and just happens to be playing the opposite side of the court from the one I ’ m cheering for .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ athletes as it is to root for them and I think I ’ d have less fun watching a season of hoops were Embiid not involved in it .
That being said , the Embiid One is the rare Embiid accomplishment that I can ’ t find it in me to fully hate on .
It ’ s a good shoe .
You should check it out .
Take it from me , the world ’ s Number One Joel Embiid Hater .

Tres Dean on The Inventory, shared by Gabe Carey to The Root

Embiid One | $90-120 | Under Armour
I hate Joel Embiid. I hate Joel Embiid as much as one is capable of hating a total stranger who hasn’t done like, war crimes or something. Hating Joel Embiid comes easy to me. When he’s good he’s an infuriating presence on the court (my blood pressure is still suffering from his airplane antics in last year’s NBA playoffs) and when he’s bad—like, say, when he’s held scoreless by Marc Gasol when playing against my beloved Toronto Raptors—it’s so easy to chalk him up as a transparently fraudulent player, as a would-be great who can’t get his act all the way together for his team
For what it’s worth, it’s also easy to hate him because there’s very little to actually get mad at him over off-court. Embiid, my general hatred/Raptors bias aside, seems like a perfectly decent dude who’s charming off-court and genuinely funny in those goofy Hulu commercials.
Still. Rivalries are rivalries and after Embiid’s Sixers took on my Raptors in a highly competitive playoffs series full of trash talk last year (which, I’ll remind you, they lost via Game 7 buzzer-beater to the eventual champions, my beloved Toronto Raptors, leaving Embiid literally weeping in Marc Gasol’s arms) I knew I had a Number One Enemy For Life in the Sixers’ gigantic center.
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So when Embiid’s first signature shoe via Under Armour, the Embiid One, was announced earlier this year I couldn’t have been less interested. Joel Embiid, the clown supreme of Philadelphia, got a signature shoe before fellow Philly legend Kyle Lowry, 2019 NBA Champion and The King In The North? Disgusting. Shameful. A pox upon the sneaker world for this, from my lips to God’s ears.
Then I saw the shoe, and man, I truly hate to type these words but my interest was piqued. The silhouette reminded me quite a bit of the Nike Kyrie 3, one of my all-time favorite basketball sneakers, and slowly I started to keep my ear to the ground for more info as the release date drew nearer. The word from sneaker YouTubers and critics alike was positive. Maybe ... MAYBE I would have to check this sneaker out. But don’t get me wrong; I’d be doing so fully prepared to hate on it as much as I hate on Joel Embiid.
Advertisement Advertisement
I first realized my hater days might be numbered when I took the shoebox out of the package. Packaging design may not have much to do with wearability but it can be the X-factor that takes a good shoe to great. The box is covered in a sort of graphic heatwave design that catches the eye and plays into the silhouette, making for a satisfying piece of storytelling (not to be pretentious but storytelling is vital in making a sneaker great!) to go along with my least favorite basketball player in the world’s first signature shoe.
Something that tends to get overlooked when discussing how a basketball sneaker is designed is how the design relates to the player’s position. While Embiid has been known to play power forward at times, he largely serves as one of the more domineering centers in the modern NBA. Centers are big guys who post up near the hoop and try to block anyone from going for a layup or shot from the paint. Usually a shoe, being catered to the needs of the athlete it’s designed for, will prioritize sneaker tech advantageous to their position.
Advertisement
That is, shockingly, not the case with the Embiid One (and perhaps why it works so well for me personally—I’m a much smaller guy and tend to take up wing or point guard positions rather than posting up as a center). The sneaker, according to Under Armour, is designed as a five-position shoe, providing benefits for all positions on the court. In fact, there are rumors that besides Embiid, the other primary wear tester as the shoe went through development was Under Armour athlete and Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry (a point guard). That’s evident in the shoe’s flexibility and light weight, making it perfect for speedy pivoting and fast dashes, though it’s got plenty of cushioning for jumpers and bigger hoopers.
That cushioning is a fusion of UA’s two most popular, HOVR tech and Micro G. Micro G is placed in the forefoot of the shoe, a light weight material that makes for super responsive push-off. The heel is comprised of HOVR, heavier and denser in order to cushion your feet when they hit the ground or drop from a jump. It’s a killer combo, hard to argue with in terms of what makes for a great five-position sneaker.
Advertisement
If there’s a downside to this basketball shoe it’s that it’s ... well, it’s a basketball shoe, not a hybrid lifestyle-basketball shoe. Athletes like Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook have made a name for themselves in the sneaker game over the last few years by wearing signature sneakers that look just as good when worn casually as they do off-court. The Embiid isn’t some ugly behemoth by any means (and hey, future colorways may make it more aesthetically appealing) but right now it definitely works best as a performance sneaker, not one for casual wear.
I’m probably never going to be an out and out Joel Embiid fan, even if he were to join the Raptors. But my hatred of him is largely superficial - like I said, he’s a talented player who seems like a good dude and just happens to be playing the opposite side of the court from the one I’m cheering for. It can be as fun to hate on athletes as it is to root for them and I think I’d have less fun watching a season of hoops were Embiid not involved in it. That being said, the Embiid One is the rare Embiid accomplishment that I can’t find it in me to fully hate on. It’s a good shoe. You should check it out. Take it from me, the world’s Number One Joel Embiid Hater.