I reviewed fellow conservative Joseph C. Phillips’s new book, He Talk Like A White Boy, for National Review Online. Check it out.
I’m pleased to announce that I have an incentive to return to regular column writing. Blogger and journalist Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor at the Washington Examiner, has put together a blogger “Board of Contributors” for the paper, and I’ve been asked to join. So long, procrastination blues!
There’s one contingency. Mark made me promise to write with the “usual fire and flair.” Not a problem. 
The Washington Examiner is a daily commuter paper distributed throughout the city and a few Maryland and Virginia suburbs. If you live in the city, you’ll know all about it. You’ll see sections of the paper scattered everywhere, especially on the Metro right after rush hour. Employees pass them out at Metro entrances. The tabloid size makes them more convenient than broadsheets. (PDF copy of print edition)
This is a great opportunity professionally. My biweekly column will appear in the D.C. and Baltimore print editions, as well as online. Not only do I get to tell a wider range of people what I think, but I’ll be paid to do it. Being published online is great, especially if you want to create buzz in the blogosphere, but there’s something thrilling about seeing your byline in “old-fashioned” print.
A big “Thank you!” to regular readers. Without this blog and your interest, such opportunities would not come my way.
If you’ve read Joseph’s book, give us your assessment. If something else is on your mind, discuss it here. I’m going offline for the weekend. Rest easy, everybody.
Addendum: The Calvinist Gadfly says:
This may sound strange but I am glad that La Shawn does not blog frequently on The Language Artist. I have too many blogs as it is to keep up.
Thanks for the shout-out, Alan! Your post makes me feel a little less guilty about neglecting the business blog. 
Update (6/3): I just saw X-Men: The Last Stand. In a word…awesome. If you’ve seen it, review it here. No spoilers, please.
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Lashawn,
There is a great article in today’s Washington Post that I’d like to share with your readers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/01/AR2006060102184.html
Congratulations La Shawn. I am very happy for you.
Kudos, LaShawn!
Congrats LaShawn.
Congratulations Lashawn !!!!!
Hurry up and get nationally syndicated, so I can read your columns in my local newspaper. The St. Louis Post Discrace. A column next to Maureen Dudd,or Paul Communist Krugman would be great.
Love, George
OH MY GOD! LaShawn, what WILL you do with your pajamas?!!!!
Congrats.
As for the book, here’s my two cents:
Uncle Tom
Climbs the rungs
And masters the corporate ladder.
But, all the while
His fellow blacks defile
Black-crackers lacking ghetto swagger.
So, Uncle Tom
Becomes Step-Uncle Tom
Divorcing those fellow blacks.
He no longer mourns
For a community who scorns
Then wonders why he doesn’t come or give back.
Have a blast with it, La Shawn!
Blessings,
Nobody deserves the recognition more. And fyi – I just ordered Phillips’ book from Amazon. Let you know what I think.
Keep up the good work! And, like Mr. Bishop, I wish you were syndicated. In any case, keep those hot links coming!
Congratulations Lashawn, I look forward to seeing some of your work. This book seems intriguing. On a side note, I will be out of the loop, (Like I haven’t been lately because of all of my TDY training), but I am heading to Iraq again. I plan on giving you some email updates whenever I can. Take care.
Congrats: Don’t forget all us little people, on your move to the top!
LaShawn,
Someday I would like an americna writer black or not to write about this subject that Ayaan Hirsi Ali speaks about.
“In the same way, Hirsi Ali explains, she’d like to challenge the beliefs of Black Muslims in America. She finds it as unfathomable that African Americans would convert to Islam as that Jews would convert to Nazism.
“I want to tell them about Darfur,” she asserts firmly. “The people in Darfur are being exterminated just because they are black. So [Islam] is also a racist doctrine… . People don’t know what’s going on in Saudi Arabia. All these palaces are full of black slaves! So the black community here converting to Islam is like converting voluntarily to slavery.
“I think if they hear it from a black person,” she says hopefully, “it will help.”
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/special_packages/sunday_review/14710997.htm
she has a HUGE point!
Congratulations La Shawn!
La Shawn, so you admit the guilt! hehe
Congrat LaShawn! You are the needed breath of fresh air in the media. Articulate, bold, free-thinking, intelligent, logical, and most of all God-fearing. This happened to the right person. “Blessed is the man who puts his trust in Him”.
La Shawn, this is GREAT news!! How exciting! Also, I’m with the guy who is anxious for your national syndication…it’s just a matter of time. Have a great weekend!
AWESOME NEWS La Shawn! This will be a welcome addition to my daily reading appetite.
LaShawn,
HERE’S A GREAT PUBLICITY STUNT FOR YOU:
Have an Ebay auction, auctioning off your pajamas. The proceeds go towards aspiring conservative, black, Christian bloggers of your choice. Headlines will read, “Washington Examiner Hires Blogger Who Sells Pajamas”
You could even write about this switch as your first article. HERE’S THE BEST PART, if your pajamas bring in more than a year’s subscription to The New York Times, oh just think of how bitter sweet that would be!
What do you think? Still have any “fire and flair” left in you?
… next stop, POLITICAL OFFICE! (Been saying that for years, now.)
Congratulations, La Shawn! And thank you for reviewing Phillip’s book. Playing armchair futurist, I can see a day when all of us, all colors/races, move to the right and our nation becomes more conservative. Conservatism is in our future, as Liberalism offer no future at all.
I saw the Super Bowl pre-game (a few days before the game) with terry bradshaw –so i guess it was fox “the best damn pregame show. A black ex-football player was asking bradshaw how far he would make it walking at night on 8-mile (some part of detroit).
They were actually asking this guy how far he could walk in an African-American neighborhood before he was presumably killed, a neighborhood in America.
Nobody in Race conscious America — except for me — batted an eye. It is a sad state of affairs.
La Shawn, that’s so great. I’m thrilled for you. Best of luck!
Stephen A. Smith UPDATE –
Sorry to blog on this thread, but the correct tread is closed.
Did anyone see him on TV Friday (6-2) blasting an email he received questioning why he is against the women’s lacrosse team wearing “innocent” on their headbands?
All I can say to you Steve is that IF the 3 accused were all black men, and the accuser was white, and the college was primarily black, and the evidence overwhelming supported the accused (black men), I would think that the women’s lacrosse team should have the right to support the men players and the school’s reputation.
You go girl! The Black conservative voice needs to be heard. More of us are seeing the light. The liberal side of Black politics will continue to destroy us.
LSB’s analysis of Steven A Smith’s comment,
““There were strippers, alcohol and disorderly conduct at the men’s lacrosse team’s party. How anyone who wasn’t there could possibly think they know anything is beyond me. But that’s why we call them kids.—
…How a man who wasn’t there, either, could possibly think he knows anything is beyond me, especially one who calls women who support accused rapists ignorant. But that’s why we call him a biased journalist.” LSB Quote
…is misreading the comment. “They” refers to the kids who were there not knowing anything. (i.e., knowing better than to engage in strippers, alcohol, disorderly conduct)
Details, details…
The sentence is awkwardly written and could be read either way, but my response to it would hold no matter which way I understood it. Amazing. – Admin
congrats, Lashawn. You run a great site.
That’s awesome! As always, you’re welcome to
quote Ol’ BC. Keep telling it like it is.
La Shawn,
The family and I saw X-Men: The Last Stand on opening night at the local drive-in theater. (Yeah, they are still around….at least there’s one here in San Diego).
Without going into details (and avoiding spoilers), the movie was GOOD, although some portions of the plot kind of hit me hard. (For those wondering what I’m talking about – see the movie and you’ll get my meaning.)
Another movie to see that’s especially good for the entire family is Over the Hedge. It is an awesomely (sp?) funny movie!!
When I come up with some sort of unique Mad Mikey movie rating system, I’ll give it five out of five….whatevers.
First off, congratulations Miss Barber! It is very exciting watching you grow your career, and very encouraging.
I saw X-Men 3, I agree, great movie and very well written. I found it quite interesting, as in Star Wars:Attack of the clones, how the treatment of the mutant issue in this installment seems to parallel current events, i.e. attempts at converting people from homosexuality. I won’t say anymore than that. Did anyone else catch that?
I also saw Over the Hedge with my kids, needless to say it was hilarious! Dreamworks is giving Disney a run for their money. I admit to not being too excited at first in seeing it but I couldn’t help but love this movie.
-two thumbs and one big toe up!
La Shawn-
When it comes to education, I’m a libertarian.
Excellent!
And, despite the fact I am an ‘atheist’ and a ‘libertarian’/'rational anarchist’, this is exactly why I love reading your blog…
You make absolutely no excuses for your beliefs, and you offer reasonable(rational) arguments in favor of your positions(from a ’social conservative’ viewpoint)– yet, you also seem quite willing to at least consider the alternatives- without simply resorting to gov’t ‘force’ and/or ‘morality’ as your first response to problems…
IMO, this means you’re already miles ahead of about 90% of all ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’.
We might have the chance to make you a ‘true‘ ‘libertarian’ yet…!
Regards,
Fletch
X men was great.
To be noted over all else, I think, is the rumination on the nature of politicians, and their lust for control and power. Both Magneto and Professor Xavier, bitter rivals and ideological opposites, wanted to control the mutant nuclear weapon, which was not the “cure,” but the Phoenix.
She destroyed them both and nearly everyone else in sight.
Also, it is good to check out tiredblackman.com.
There is an interesting discussion on the roles black females have on black male culture and behavior. Worth checking out.
I also saw X-men 3. I loved it too although I was pretty upset about a couple of the “surprises”. And Jerry (#31) I also noticed the parallel between mutantism and homosexuality in regard to the “you don’t have to remain like this”. I wondered if this was intentional. Perhaps a not so subtle message from Hollywood to conservative Christians. Hmmmmm?
TiredBlackmen was interesting only in that it was entertaining to me.
It seemed too much like woman-bashing to me, as wrong as man-bashing.
If the writer/producer/director was engaged 6 times, I would suggest that the problem is most likely with him or his selections.
With so many of his “brothers” in prison or players not looking for a good woman, I can’t see how he would have a problem finding a good woman.
Congratulations La Shawn! I think that is awesome!
Lashawn,
I was wondering if you had a chance to read this weekend’s piece in the Washington Post on the state of black men in America?
The poll that was conducted was especially thought-provoking, as it shows black men coming to terms with the fact that opportunities abound, but also blaming other black men for negative perceptions that persist about black males.
UNK,
It’s funny that you say what you say, because one of the biggest complaints aired on tiredblackman.com is that black females take no responsibility and harbor no criticism for their role in the crumbling of black communities all over this country.
If we can talk trash about black males all day long, we MUST reveal the other side of the equation – the black females that serve as fuel for the black male fire.
It is a real issue and I wish more women would take to heart the issues being raised on that forum. You see it as woman bashing, I see it as catharthsis and testimony.
If LaShawn recommends it, it’s got to be good – going to buy a copy right now. I took your recommendation for White Ghetto and really liked it. I think I’m a little more libertarian than Star (and you in a few cases) but she’s absolutely correct in her assertions. As an aside, I just finished Shelby Steele’s White Guilt and it was a good read. I respect the heck out of Steele and there’s a brutal honesty in his book that really helps younger folks like me understand how things got to where they are. I think on this one I often had the feeling like “Ok, I got the point, next” a few times but overall it was a great read and I highly recommend it. Looks to me like the Black Conservative movement is starting to gather some real steam b/c just about every Black conservative I know of is a real heavy weight and makes more powerful arguments than I can shake a stick at. Anyway, I’ve never been disappointed when I took one of your recommendations, so I’m going to head out now and pick up a copy. Hopefully I won’t get a snotty look from some tattooed, pierced angry earthy looking sales clerk when I buy this book. I know when I bought Black Rednecks, the NOW Poster girl behind the counter looked like she wanted to spit on me. Got some dirty looks when I went to buy White Ghetto too. Oh well.
Now, I wonder how long it’s going to take the major book stores to move books like this into the “African American Studies” section. I know back during Black History month, (I go to the bookstore weekly), None of Borders, Barnes and Noble and Books a Million in my area had a single book in their African American studies section [which was featured prominently] featuring a Black intellectual that wasn’t an angry victim/liberal. Hopefully this will change.
God Bless you LaShawn and God Bless this young Gentleman, Mr.Phillips…….if Black America follows the likes of Ms. Barber and Mr. Phillips, a great awakening will occur and we of all races will benefit!!
Keep up the Great Work!!
Am pleased for you La Shawn. You are doing it the old fashioned way . . . hard work, class, and smarts.
“Is it just me, or does anyone else find it amazing that our government can track a cow born in Canada almost three years ago, right to the stall where she sleeps in the state of Washington? And, they tracked her calves to their stalls. But they are unable to track 11 million illegal aliens wandering around our country. Maybe we should give them all a cow.”
“The real reason that we can’t have the Ten Commandments in a courthouse . . . You cannot post ‘thou shalt not steal,’ ‘Thou shall not commit adultery,’ and ‘Thou shall not lie’ in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians – - it creates a hostile work environment.”
Phillips expresses himself well. Additional proof, if anyone still needed it, that it is education and work that is the hope for the future instead of the race card.
It is unfair to tell lawyer jokes when 95% of the problems our society thinks of with lawyers are caused by only 5% of them. As little as we think of politicians, (rightly), they enable us to live in a society without killing each other most of the time. Until Christ returns that is about all we can hope for. I wonder how many of the things I thought I knew will be corrected?
Many, if not most, of those politicians were good people until faced with the constant praise and adulation that us humans cannot deal with.
Unk wrote:
“With so many of his “brothers†in prison or players not looking for a good woman, I can’t see how he would have a problem finding a good woman.”
Actually Unk, it is those very players and thugs who seem to get the good black women. It is common to see a black guy who is either a flamboyant player or a rough edged street thug with an attractive, educated, working black woman. In our society, there is an established image of what a black man is and this image involves being a bad boy. It is this perception that has often been viewed as what makes black men appealing. Down to earth, responsible black men are often viewed as weak, unexciting, and unappealing.
You see this to a point with other groups, but it is common to see very attractive white women with white men who seem to be “regular guys” who are not flashy, not hard, and not what would traditionally be viewed as “hunks”. I see bikers as the white equivalent to black thugs and “biker chicks” tend to look and act just as rough as the bikers. On the other hand, black dope dealers, gang members, etc. often have very attractive black women hanging on their arms.
This is most common with young black women and before they can mature enough to put priority on what’s good for them as opposed to what’s good to them, they have already had children by these very men who are most unlikely to commit to being fathers and husbands. After catching the blues, these women then declare that all black men are dogs and those down to earth, responsible black men scratch their heads wondering why they are alone.
People fail to realize how much the actions of females affect young males. Much of what young men do in their lives revolves around making themselves appealing to the opposite sex and it is quite damaging to their ambitions when young black boys see drug dealers, ex-cons, gang members, thugs, and players with the most appealing black women. If nearly all black women only went after straight A intellectual types, the black community would be full of male geniuses.
Shade,
I did not mean to imply that the issue of male-female relationships should not be discussed objectively. I only objected to the female-bashing aspect, and did not think at first glance TiredBlackMan.com contained even Oprah quality advice.
I believe the issue of welfare and the unintended creation of “welfare queens†who could financially raise children without the help a husband has been well discussed, and was a justification for welfare reform. I believe the issue of gangster rap, the “Pimp having a hard time†movie and others has been discussed, but I haven’t really looked into it.
The lack of successfully married role models for both men and women is a problem regardless of race or gender.
The 3-minute video clip had a polite, mild speaking black divorced black man who 1) visited his kids, 2) paid child support, 3) paid for the ex-wife’s house, and 4) his ex-wife did not work a day while married or divorced. I suppose there are situations like this, but I would imagine most ex-wives would be happy in such a situation.
If you or any black man finds yourself dating a woman who does not like it when you walk away from being disrespected instead of fighting self proclaimed “niccas†who you should be laughing at (not to their face), I would suggest you change your taste in women. There are twice as many African-American women in college than men so that might be a place to start.
Unk,
Despite the college statistics, black men still average a higher income than black women and make up a larger number in the workforce especially the full-time workforce. The black female college enrollment rate is not the end-all as it relates to the comparison. Plus, either of the complaining women in the video clip could easily be a college educated woman. The point is that the common attitude of black women that involves routine high drama and hell raising for any given reason is prevalent in college educated women as well as non-college educated black women. Black men often cite how a good black man is often viewed by black women as weak and he is often treated in such a way by them. It’s just like the film’s writer stated in an interview, that if a man doesn’t bring drama into their relationship, she will bring it because it seems that that is where her comfort zone lies. It also seems that the drama brought by thugs and players is often embraced to a certain point which, as I stated earlier, is why you can easily find educated black women in relationships with fools who were clearly fools from the start. This is something observed by good black men for years and they are only now really beginning to express their feelings on the subject. Black women often don’t treat good black men very well and will often treat trifling black men quite well until they can’t endure being dogged out anymore. Then they proclaim all black men to be dogs.
Of course there are many black women not like this, yet this is prevalent enough to have a powerful impact. If black women shun the thugs and players, the thugs and players will eventually become extinct.
I thought the movie was pretty good, although not as good as the previous one. It was very entertaining but I felt it went by too quickly, which is better than a movie that isn’t fast enough. Still, I did enjoy it. In the previous movie, Magneto was glorified and shown as fairly likable but this one really made you despise him. I feel it should have had at least one scene with him faced with a difficult decision that could have redeemed him and instead making a very bad choice that leads directly to his downfall. That’s the main thing the film was missing, now that I think about it. Other than that it was great.
Congratulations, La Shawn!
I saw X-men and it’s an excellent movie. It strays way off from the original plot, and that is going to make long time X-men comic readers upset, but I think overall the movie was a lot of fun. I would have liked to see more of Cyclops and Rogue seeing as they are major players, but the Storm/Callisto fight was fun.
I am slightly more than halfway through Phillips’ book, which arrived yesterday – yes, it is THAT good.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something thoughtful and thought-provoking. In addition, it is well written, even grammatical! My late godmother (high school English teacher for 44 years) would approve – both of the thought process and of the writing! There is, from me, no higher praise!
Brava La Shawn for recommending the book and bravo to Joseph C. Phillips for a magnificent book.
I wonder….why is Mr. Phillips only qualified to talk about “black” problems??
Hmmmmm…..
Shade,
I stumbled across this book at the library:
Get Over Yourself! : How to Drop the Drama and Claim the Life You Deserve
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401301762/sr=8-1/qid=1149713983/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5335267-3974460?%5Fencoding=UTF8
which at first glance seems like a more sensitive view than tiredblackman.com
Hopefully you are not the Amazon.com reviewer who bought a copy of “Get Over Yourself” and gave it to his wife – just joking.
I’ve been accused of “Talking Like A White Boy”
Sooo Many times. I’m sure I can relate to a lot of what he writes in the book.
Good post!
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