This week, Mat Johnson explains why he loves the term “mulatto.” Read that and other essays from Jezebel, The Toast, The Cut, the New York Times Magazine, and The New Republic.
"Why You Can Kiss My Mulatto Ass" — BuzzFeed Books
Though some may cringe at the word, Mat Johnson loves "mulatto." In an essay for BuzzFeed Books, the author retraces the history of the loaded term and explains why he prefers it to "biracial" or "mixed." In his own words, "the recent re-emergence of mulatto identity isn’t about race, it’s about actively acknowledging a multiethnic reality in a simplistically racialized world." Read his piece at BuzzFeed Books.
Maritsa Patrinos / BuzzFeed
"It's Easy to Defend a Molester If You Value Godliness Over Consent" — Jezebel
After 19 Kids and Counting's Josh Duggar confirmed allegations that he'd molested several minors as a teen, conservatives were quick to leap to his defense. Some of them have even compared the recent scandal to Lena Dunham's self-reported incident of looking into her 1-year-old sister's vagina. To debunk their analogy, Jia Tolentino reminds us of what conservative and liberal sexual ethics look like. Simply put, one is based on a person's faith in God — and the other, consent. Read it at Jezebel.
Illustration by Jim Cooke / Via jezebel.com
"On Asian/Pacific Islander American Stories and Why We Need More of Them" — The Toast
While curating a monthly newsletter of literature published by Asian/Pacific Islander American writers, Karissa Chen ran into a conundrum that writers like herself often face. It turns out, being an APIA writer means constantly having to define yourself and being subjected to market forces, societal stereotypes, and the failure of the public imagination — but that's precisely why we need more APIA writers. Read Chen's piece at The Toast.
Shing Yin Khor / Via the-toast.net
"Mad Max Is a Feminist Playbook for Surviving Dystopia" — BuzzFeed Ideas
"Patriarchy, it turns out, is prettiest when it’s on fire," writes Penny Laurie in her review of Mad Max: Fury Road. In it, she explains how the dystopian film parallels our world today, how it combats misogyny, and why it's got so many antifeminist internet trolls riled up. Read it at BuzzFeed Ideas.
Jasin Boland / Warner Bros.
