Rod and Karen discuss leaving 5 star reviews, the art of the sexy interlude, a weird comment about the show and we read Luvvie’s essay about blackness among the diaspora. Twitter: @rodimusprime @SayDatAgain @TBGWT
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Luvvie’s essay was a lot. It could have been 2,993 words shorter. “I should not have insulted Tevin, sorry y’all”.
In another context, the immigrant vs American black people discussion is worth having. Believe me, various versions of this happen all over the world. My mom studied nursing in Scotland because in the late 50s and 60s, Jamaicans that wanted to be nurses had to do the bulk of their schooling in Britain. It was the same for citizens of other colonies as well. One of the experiences that stuck with her was the relationships between others in the diaspora. Her experience was that the West Indians found no camaraderie with some Africans who denigrated them as “sons of slaves”. Even now, some West Indians and Africans hold the white worldview that black Americans are holding themselves back and need to work harder blah blah. Two decades ago, Malcom Gladwell wrote an easy which highlighted a study that white American employers were more likely to hire immigrant black people than American black people because of a perception of a “better” work ethic so a lot of children of African immigrants speak from a position of privilege, especially when the parents have degrees.
When you guys spoke about the random thoughts, I remembered that time when Karen was talking about her first massage and Rod was asking questions sounding like one of those porn directors asking creepy questions from behind the camera. It was pretty hilarious.
Great show as always.
Amil
I don’t really follow the Luvvie, but I’ve seen her stuff on social media. I’m not really familiar with all of her work so I have no dog in this fight. But like you said, there will always be those people who will try to catch you slipping. I think she’s entitled to her opinion about Tevin Campbell even if it’s wrong but that essay she wrote about it was extra as fuck. She could have just said, my bad, and that she didn’t realize how important Tevin Campbell is to many people who still hold him in high regard. It seems to me she’s the type of person who let her ego get in the way of a simple apology. Or saying nothing would have killed the issue just as well.
Honestly I didn’t even know she was the reason Tevin started trending. I saw him trending and thought he died. Glad he didn’t.
With all that being said, what’s especially sad about Tevin Campbell falling off was not because of his lack of talent it was because of he was outed and it destroyed his career. And people wonder why artist choose to keep information about their sexuality to themselves, even to this day.
The funny thing about the Luvvie fiasco, is that I remember BET pulling Tevin out for a tribute (maybe Patti or MJ), years ago, & it was terrible. I’m definitely a Tevin fan… but, I was shocked & disappointed by that particular performance. Maybe he was going through something @ the time, or didn’t have enough time to prepare. But, I had Luvvie’s exact thoughts, @ that time. I didn’t hear the Aretha tribute, so maybe he had more time to prepare.
I used to really enjoy Luvvie’s social commentary… it was most definitely shady & petty. But, as her brand grew, it became very… awkward, is the best that I can say. It was like a monster you’ve created, that you’re trying desperately to keep in check. In that genre, I’m not sure you can… a la, Nicki Minaj.
& once she got into the TV side, i.e. Shonda-land, I started to back away. Her TV commentary was sooooooo basic. That’s really no shade. But, I really did wonder @ the time, who thinks that this is anything more than just summarizing the entire f*ing show. There was no character & plot assessments, like Rod & Bassey do… I was flabbergasted that it caught on so heavily. But, that was my first glimpse into the rage of “building a brand.â€
Ultimately, I was happy for her success… even purchased a digital copy of her book. But, definitely where I learned to be careful about following/buying into all these “brands.†I enjoyed her voice, in a very specific context, but I would’ve never considered her an authority on “the culture.†More like a comedian, than anything else. Obviously, she, & others, bought into the hype.
P.S. God bless Rod for reading all those f*cking words. â€â™€ï¸
Hi Rod and Karen,
First, stop apologizing for taking time off. That’s something many Americans and far too many African-Americans need to stop doing. We are the most overworked, under appreciated workforce in the industrialized world. Never forget, America has a slave economy as it’s foundation and the idea that if we aren’t working ourselves to death we are doing something wrong is rooted in this.
Second, you summed up my thoughts on the current Luvvie situation. I follow her on social media and will continue to do so. However, every time she gets into one of these situations and cries victim, it gets harder and harder to view her that way. I suggest Luvvie review the tale “The Boy Who Cried Wolfâ€, least she find herself victimed out in the eyes of the public, when her cries of innocence are most in need of an audience.
Third, I listened to you and Karen on Music Ate My Brain. It was quite entertaining and Karen’s inadvertently stealing the songs on other people’s list was hilarious. If I might be so bold, I have my own problematic fave, which will likely date me. There is a song named Call Me by a group named Skyy. Much like Michelle Indege Ochello’s “If That Was Your Boyfriend…†it speaks of getting with another woman’s man. However, Skyy one upped Michelle when as the lead up to the chorus, the singer reveals she is friends with the girlfriend of the man she’s is doing her damnest to get with.
I’m so sorry, I apologise. I read it back and I see it came in too strong & wrong, and stupid was completely too harsh a word. I appreciate you both and wouldn’t want you to ever be scripted, unnatural. And controlling women (Karen specifically) was definitely definitely definitely not on my mind. I was rude, and I was mortified to hear you interpret it .
It’s a learning for me. When you talked about Luvvie next, I felt as horrible and tone deaf as she was in that mess. I hope you can forgive me. I should’ve just said thanks for another great show because that’s what you gave.
Thank you for listening and hearing us. I sincerely love this. Apology accepted and I completely understand. Seriously this is what our show is all about. Reading this brought tears to my eyes. Stuff like this really does give me hope!
I’m the one crying. Humbled by your kindness, thank you. You’d never know how much joy this podcast has given me (a lot) by the way I wrote it. I’m sorry.
Hey, I noticed you have been apologizing a lot for needing a day off from work. Please stop. We understand. You work hard and the quality shows. If you need a vacation to keep TBGWT great in high quality, please do so. Thank you Rod and Karen for all you do.
All of this!