Believe it or not, there has been a lot of controversy lately about how people cook rice. According to CNN, the "outrage" was a reaction to a clip Malaysian comedian Nigel Ng posted as one of his personas known as Uncle Roger.
It was a hilarious (and harmless) satire about the method chef Hersha Patel used to cook rice on the show BBC Food.
<p><br></p>
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<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="04fbf5dd03a4d721359806747f744d5e"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/53me-ICi_f8?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Uncle Roger DISGUSTED by this Egg Fried Rice Video (BBC Food)</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=17&v=53me-ICi_f8&feature=emb_logo" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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<p><br></p><p>In the spilt screen video with Uncle Roger on the left and Patel on the right, the comedian critiques Hersha's process with comments such as she's "draining rice with colander! How can you drain rice with colander? This is not pasta!" While the video was meant to be a joke, it sparked an outcry of people taking offense to her culinary approach to cooking rice. CNN describes the reaction as a "firestorm of dismay and disbelief."<br></p><p>Leading up to rice-gate there have been instances of white chefs being accused of cultural insensitivity in their cooking methods. This tokenism is not considered overt racism, but is more of a subtle symbol represented by a cavalier nature of approaching the culinary traditions of a culture one might not fully understand or be sensitive to. A New York City restaurant had to close its doors less than a year from the day it opened due to a white chef proclaiming they would serve clean Chinese Food. </p><p>In lieu of the backlash sparked by the surprisingly controversial video, Nigel Ng and Hersha Patel posted a <a href="https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=Awr9NVXnAi5fDXAAnzs0nIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBncGdyMzQ0BHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEdnRpZAM-;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTcwMARfcgMyBGFjdG4DY2xrBGNzcmNwdmlkA194SzZ0ekV3TGpKOVJnQlhXWXFOSVFFTU1UQTNMZ0FBQUFEVDBhbVcEZnIDeWhzLXN5bWFudGVjLWV4dF9vbmIEZnIyA3NhLWdwBGdwcmlkA1VfTDJTTkNuUkNPNXFPT1lGeXlxLkEEbl9yc2x0AzYwBG5fc3VnZwMwBG9yaWdpbgN2aWRlby5zZWFyY2gueWFob28uY29tBHBvcwMwBHBxc3RyAwRwcXN0cmwDBHFzdHJsAzI3BHF1ZXJ5A25pZ2VsJTIwbmclMjBoZXJzaGElMjBwZXRhbAR0X3N0bXADMTU5Njg1MDkzMg--?p=nigel+ng+hersha+petal&ei=UTF-8&fr2=p%3As%2Cv%3Av%2Cm%3Asa&fr=yhs-symantec-ext_onb&hsimp=yhs-ext_onb&hspart=symantec&type=cr_ds_mar20_wk17_2020&param1=dde87c79-a826-4dad-bb5d-06416a0d03b3_2020-04-19_cr&param2=ds_nag_mar20&param3=nfm__wk17_2020&param4=1000&guce_referrer=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&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAL4uteGARre3ZSs5WSl1Urm5qIup0DPoVGF2cWeaEyMRDYnjas58Z-ecRBrJsJNUfGNhz_O21MjNSsFmKohP6ylT5pxxH0PK6PhllyaxSL1e4crvN-FpD8zs_R_X2lpE7N76CDjkjm_oQLMUMszUvvCJhLzGtS2MvslLn852K8ho&_guc_consent_skip=1596850962#id=3&vid=2ed17f2b7312f37123d6002b4423c6c3&action=view" target="_blank">follow-up video</a> to try and defuse any uprising spawned by the rice-cooking incident.</p><p><br></p>
<p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-youtube">
<span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="88fc353f85127f1d5154f1ff5931e152"><iframe type="lazy-iframe" data-runner-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bGtR3l_JeUo?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
<small class="image-media media-caption" placeholder="Add Photo Caption...">Uncle Roger Meet Egg Fried Rice Lady (@Hersha Patel)</small>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGtR3l_JeUo" target="_blank">www.youtube.com</a>
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</p>
<p><br></p><p> In the clip, Ng says,"Hey instagram! Guess who I just had dinner with?" The camera pans right to reveal Patel. Ng continues saying that in an upcoming post, "Uncle Roger" will be going to Patel's residence for her to cook rice the "right way."</p><p>It is official. We are offended by rice. It is a shame about the polar ice caps, racial injustice, the unexplainable logic to not wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, rising sea levels and a less than functional White House (which is the most polite way I can put that). But let me tell you, nothing grinds my gears more than someone who cooks rice in a non-traditional way. On that note, I am going to cook spaghetti and break the noodles in half before I put them in the boiling water. And because I am a rebel, I might let it cook so it is slightly beyond a dente. Take that, Italy. </p>
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Let's Do More Together
Inspired by Reddit co-founder, parents model anti-racist behavior for the next generation
07.31.20
True
It is said that once you've seen something, you can't unsee it. This is exactly what is happening in America right now. We have collectively watched the pot of racial tension boil over after years of looking the other way, insisting that hot water doesn't exist, pretending not to notice the smoke billowing out from every direction.
Ignoring a problem doesn't make it go away—it prolongs resolution. There's a whole lot of harm to be remedied and damage to be repaired as a result of racial injustice, and it's up to all of us to figure out how to do that. Parents, in particular, are recognizing the importance of raising anti-racist children; if we are unable to completely eradicate racism, maybe the next generation will.
How can parents ensure that the next generation will actively refuse to perpetuate systems and behaviors embedded in racism? The most obvious answer is to model it. Take for example, professional tennis player Serena Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
<p>
Ohanian, who is white, recently stepped down from his position at Reddit and asked the board to replace him with a person of color, calling the lack of people of color in positions of power an "unacceptable gap." He stated
<u><a href="https://twitter.com/alexisohanian/status/1268943033137053698" target="_blank">on Twitter</a></u> that he wants to be able to face his daughter if she asks one day "What did YOU do?"
</p><div class="rm-embed embed-media"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I co-founded
<a href="https://twitter.com/reddit?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@reddit</a> 15 years ago to help people find community and a sense of belonging.⁰<br>
<br>
It is long overdue to do the right thing. I'm doing this for me, for my family, and for my country.
<br>
— Alexis Ohanian Sr. 🚀 (@alexisohanian)
<a href="https://twitter.com/alexisohanian/status/1268943033137053698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 5, 2020</a>
</blockquote><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"> </script></div><p>
His decision to step down arrives at a time when the United States is witnessing widespread protests against racism and police brutality after an unarmed Black man, George Floyd, died at the hands of the police. On his
<u><a href="https://alexisohanian.com/home/2020/6/5/what-did-you-do" target="_blank">personal website</a></u> Ohanian wrote, "I believe resignation can actually be an act of leadership from people in power right now. To everyone fighting to fix our broken nation: do not stop."<br>
</p><p>
Ohanian's actions are admirable, but his position isn't a common one. Most parents don't have a job that they can step away from without causing their families serious financial problems. There are, however, plenty of other ways to model anti-racist behavior.
</p><p>
"...Parents have the responsibility to combat racism, bias, and discrimination, starting with the socialization of their own children," writes Dr.
<u><a href="https://sanford.duke.edu/people/faculty/lansford-jennifer" target="_blank">Jennifer E. Lansford</a></u>, a Research Professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy and Faculty Fellow of the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University, in <u><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-and-culture/202006/parenting-combat-racism-bias-and-discrimination" target="_blank">this article</a></u> about how parents can work to fight racism. "<u><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/parenting-and-culture/202006/parenting-combat-racism-bias-and-discrimination" target="_blank">A new approach is needed</a></u>—one that does not burden parents of color as the only ones responsible for the racial-ethnic socialization of their children."
</p><p>
But what kind of new approach?
</p><p>
First and most importantly, parents can register to vote and bring their child(ren) along when casting their ballot. It's important for kids to see the democratic process, and discussing why participation in that process is an honor and a privilege increases the likelihood that children will exercise their future right to vote.
</p><p class="shortcode-media shortcode-media-rebelmouse-image">
<a href="https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1466780446965-2072a3de8a43?ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&fm=jpg&crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&w=400&fit=max&ixid=eyJhcHBfaWQiOjEzMzIxMn0" target="_blank"><img type="lazy-image" data-runner-src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzUyNzEzOC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYxMTc2NzkyNn0.d6hs2L6Sb03igjNqLr-LBIryHku11UC4aj0m3NPANCA/img.jpg?width=980" id="0ea04" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="feca73cd2018ec25507a5fabc70938a1" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image"></a>
<small class="image-media media-photo-credit" placeholder="Add Photo Credit...">
Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@eagleboobs?utm_source=RebelMouse&utm_medium=referral">Elliott Stallion</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=RebelMouse&utm_medium=referral">Unsplash</a>
</small>
</p><p>
Additionally, parents have to be willing to get creative and think outside the box. <u><a href="http://bit.ly/ANTIRACISMRESOURCES" target="_blank">This resource guide is a great place to start</a></u>. Simple things like adding new podcasts into the rotation or expanding your family's library of books can make a huge difference in how our children view the world. The point is to be informed and intentional.<br>
</p><p>
Seeking out diversity, talking about race from an early age, celebrating our differences, even making a point to give our kids toys that look different than them, are all small but easy things parents and caregivers can do to instill anti-racism.
</p><p>
Look around and think about what kind of environment you are creating for your children. Does everyone look the same? If so, whether you mean to or not, you're helping to create unconscious bias within your child. Our kids are watching, and they will model what we teach them.
</p><p>
<strong><em><span></span>Turn your everyday actions into acts of good at <a href="https://bit.ly/2AfA27u" target="_blank">P&G Good Everyday</a>.</em></strong>
</p>
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Kooky conspiracy theories are detracting from the very real issue of child trafficking
08.04.20
Photo by Mahir Uysal on Unsplash
Two years ago, I got off the phone after an interview and cried my eyes out. I'd just spent an hour talking to Tim Ballard, the founder of Operation Underground Railroad, an organization that helps fight child sex trafficking, and I just couldn't take it.
Ballard told me about how the training to go undercover as a child predator nearly broke him. He told me an eerie story of a trafficker who could totally compartmentalize, showing Ballard photos of kids he had for sale, then switching gears to proudly show him a photo of his own daughter on her bicycle, just as any parent would. He told me about how lucrative child trafficking is—how a child can bring in three or four times as much as a female prostitute—and how Americans are the industry's biggest consumers.
<p>But you know what he <em>didn't </em>mention in our hour-long conversation? Pizza, hot dogs, Hollywood elites, or any of the other child sex trafficking conspiracy theories raging around the internet. Not one of them. Not once. </p><p>You know who else doesn't mention any of those things? The organizations that have spent years and years battling child sex trafficking while most of us blissfully went along in our daily lives, largely oblivious to it. </p><p>No matter our political, religious, or ideological leanings, the unfathomable hideousness of child sex trafficking is something all of us should be able to agree on. But that doesn't make conspiracy theories about pizza parlors and Satanic pedophile rings palatable, or even remotely acceptable. </p><p>Did people learn nothing from the man who believed the Pizzagate conspiracy and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-washingtondc-gunman/man-pleads-guilty-in-washington-pizzeria-shooting-over-fake-news-idUSKBN16V1XC" target="_blank">fired his AR-15 inside of Comet Ping Pong</a> in Washington D.C. because he believed a baseless pedophile ring conspiracy theory involving the pizza parlor? </p><p>There are still people who think that Pizzagate thing is real. (For those who have been blissfully spared from that lunacy, you can read about it <a href="https://time.com/4590255/pizzagate-fake-news-what-to-know/" target="_blank">here.</a>) But that's not even the kookiest thing I've seen lately. There's a veritable laundry list of child sex trafficking posts going around, including:</p><p>- Oprah, Tom Hanks, Ellen Degeneres and other "Hollywood elites" have actually been arrested, and the pandemic is all a distraction to cover up the crackdown on these celebrities. (Fact check <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-tom-hanks-ankle-monitor/fact-check-tom-hanks-is-not-wearing-an-ankle-monitor-post-stems-from-conspiracy-claims-idUSKCN24T2AZ" target="_blank">here.</a> Oh and another one <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/30/fact-check-teigen-degeneres-oprah-not-epstein-flight-logs/5494709002/" target="_blank">here.</a>) </p><p>- Model and wife of John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, is a pedophile because she's tweeted a whole bunch about pizza and because she had a sardonic sense of humor about the sexualization of little kids on the show Toddlers & Tiaras back in 2013. (Fact check <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/01/what-happened-with-chrissy-teigen-on-twitter-an-explainer.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/30/fact-check-teigen-degeneres-oprah-not-epstein-flight-logs/5494709002/" target="_blank">here.</a>) </p><p>- Wayfair—yes, the home goods products store—has <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/22/fact-check-wayfair-not-involved-child-sex-trafficking/5460739002/" target="_blank">coded listings for missing children</a> being sold at exorbitant prices in a child sex trafficking scheme. (No, they don't. Fact check <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/22/fact-check-wayfair-not-involved-child-sex-trafficking/5460739002/" target="_blank">here.</a>)</p><p>- Having children wear masks will make it easier for kids to be trafficked because no one can see the expression on the kids' faces or identify them. (As if child traffickers weren't already successfully trafficking kids without masks. Fact check <a href="https://www.kimt.com/content/news/COVID-19-increases-concerns-over-masked-child-trafficking-suspects-571971611.html" target="_blank">here.</a>)</p><p>- There's a concerted effort to make "age fluidity" a thing, and to make pedophilia an accepted sexual orientation. (There is one very small group called NAMBLA, which has been trying to abolish consent laws since the 1970s, but claims that there's some kind of "movement" to normalize pedophilia as a legitimate sexual orientation is actually an effort to harm the LBGTQ+ community. Fact check <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/pedophiles-age-fluid/?fbclid=IwAR3DdW3MKnrvWzVr4y9V8KY_LEJn-JkTsUzC81DzeAah-HZZyHSMiLJ7B_o" target="_blank">here.</a>) </p><p>- Obama and Clinton are satanic leaders of a global child-sex-trafficking cabal—which includes most Democrats and Hollywood, apparently—who feast on children's adrenal glands in order to increase their power. (Fact check <a href="https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2017/12/qanon-4chan-the-storm-conspiracy-explained.html" target="_blank">here,</a> although if you seriously need a fact check for this you are already too far gone, my friend. On a related note, <a href="https://mssv.net/2020/08/02/what-args-can-teach-us-about-qanon/?fbclid=IwAR3Al2UWJWuScsfllbPZS1EZJYSQsQ0ZCHue0YcXNXcgJnsZK6h4eNt-leE" target="_blank">this article </a>about the parallels between QAnon and "alternate reality games" is suuuuper fascinating and explains a lot.) </p><p>- Obama spent $65,000 on a "hot dog" party, which is code for little boys and pedophilia. (You know what? I'm not even going to fact check this, because come on.) </p><p>And that's not even all of them. </p><h2></h2><p>Of course, there are some legitimate questions to be asked about how much involvement certain celebrities and politicians, including Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, had with known pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Having watched a beloved figure like Bill Cosby fall from grace over sexual misconduct, we know what's possible. But none of those Epstein connections are a secret. It's all being reported on in the real news and has been since Epstein started being investigated. (There's also a lot of misinformation about who was involved with Epstein, and to what degree, and in what capacity, and none of these conspiracy theories are helping us get to the truth of the matter.) </p><p>The main problem is this: When you conflate the actual issue of child sex trafficking—which is absolutely real and serious and deserves our attention—with totally off-the-wall, debunked conspiracy theories, it causes people to put their energies in the wrong places. </p><p>The Polaris Project, a national organization that fights human trafficking, had to release a statement asking people to stop calling about Wayfair because it was overwhelming the National Human Trafficking Hotline.</p><p>"While Polaris treats all calls to the Trafficking Hotline seriously, the extreme volume of these contacts has made it more difficult for the Trafficking Hotline to provide support and attention to others who are in need of help," <a href="https://polarisproject.org/press-releases/polaris-statement-on-wayfair-sex-trafficking-claims/" target="_blank">the group said in a July 20 press release</a>. "We strongly encourage everyone to learn more about what human trafficking really looks like in most situations, and about how you can help fight trafficking in your own community."</p><p>What it often looks like is a family member trafficking a child, such as <a data-linked-post="2646852230" href="https://www.upworthy.com/what-child-trafficking-looks-like" target="_blank">Melody Cholish's story</a> she recently shared with us. Sometimes it looks different, and you can find all kinds of stories and information about child trafficking from the many organizations that have worked for years on this issue, including <a href="https://www.savethechildren.org/us/charity-stories/child-trafficking-awareness#children" target="_blank">Save the Children</a>, <a href="https://ourrescue.org/" target="_blank">Operation Underground Railroad</a>, <a href="https://polarisproject.org/" target="_blank">the Polaris Project</a>, <a href="https://love146.org/slavery/common-myths/" target="_blank">Love 146</a>, and <a href="https://www.stopthetraffik.org/" target="_blank">Stop the Traffik.</a> (Please use those sites for "doing research" instead of Twitter or QAnon or YouTube or memes that come through your feed.) </p><p><span></span>The other problem is that the issue of child sex trafficking is suddenly being used to deflect from every other important issue, because "Oh yeah? <em>What about CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING???</em>" is a fairly effective deflection. I mean, who doesn't think that child sex trafficking is the absolute worst of the worst things humans do? Black Lives Matter? <em>What about CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING?</em> Horrible pandemic situation due to inept leadership? <em>What about CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING? </em></p><p>I mean, we can care about more than one thing at a time. The question is, why did all these conspiracy theorists not care this much about child sex trafficking until they thought it was "evil liberal elites" doing it? Why was no one calling child sex trafficking a "pandemic" until we were in the middle of an uncontrolled <em>literal </em>pandemic? Why were there no widespread protests against child sex trafficking until there were widespread protests for Black Lives Matter? <br></p><p>As I mentioned, Tim Ballard didn't say a single thing about Hollywood elites or pizza parlor basements or adrenal-sucking rituals or anything of the sort in our hour-long conversation about child sex trafficking. And he's an expert on this topic. He's also a conservative Trump supporter. He's not peddling any of these conspiracies, and neither are any of the legitimate organizations that are working to end child trafficking. Not one. </p><p>Either every major organization working to end child sex trafficking is a part of The Big Evil Global Elite Pedo Ring Plot or people who spend too much time on social media are being taken by baseless, politically-driven nonsense that's probably being pumped out of some guy's basement. My money is on the latter. </p><p>Stick with the organizations that have been doing this work for decades. Get your information from them. Stop sharing crazy internet conspiracies simply because you want people to know you care about children, or because it justifies your hatred of people you see as your enemies. We can—and must—unite to fight child sex trafficking without resorting to insane, debunked rumors that muddy the waters and distract from the real problem. </p>
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Hamilton star Leslie Odom Jr. refused to appear in the movie until he got a huge raise
08.10.20
You can put this one in the "win column" for those who believe in equal pay. Leslie Odom Jr. took a stand and was not going to settle for anything other than what was fair.
The Hamilton star, who won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the most successful musical in modern history, simply sought a similar wage to white actors who had comparable roles in other musicals. As he explained to Dax Shepard on his podcast Armchair Expert, they did not contact his agent at CAA until after the announcement of the shows filming. When the offer finally came, it was disappointing.
<p><br></p>
<div id="b56b2" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="e8d9a55348557d9d1a625275b7f55fef"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1290463376817217539" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Brother, thankful for the platform you’ve built where we may speak with such candor and vulnerably. We need these s… https://t.co/02iD48sXLp</div> — Leslie Odom, Jr. (@Leslie Odom, Jr.)<a href="https://twitter.com/leslieodomjr/statuses/1290463376817217539">1596505419.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p><br></p><p> "They came to me with an offer, 'Leslie, we're shooting tomorrow,'" Odom said, "and I'm like, here's the thing: This is it. This is my area of expertise. This is all I have. This is my life's work on the stage too. And so I just can't sell it away for magic beans. I can't give it away."</p><p>All Odom was asking for is to be treated fairly. He told Dax, "So I can ask CAA [Creative Artists Agency], what does my white counterpart, what does Aaron Tveit make to do <em>Grease Live! </em>on TV? What does he make to do <em>Grease</em>? This is <em>Hamilton</em> live, right?" Odom said. "So when I found out what he made, Dax, I didn't ask for a penny more. I didn't ask for one penny more, but I said, 'You must pay me exactly what that white boy got to do <em>Grease Live!</em> That's the bottom line.'"</p><p>For Odom, this was no strong-arm tactic. He just wanted to be treated fairly. And it was no bluff, either. </p>"The day before we shot that movie I called out. I was not kidding. I was not coming to work the next day to do the movie. You know, I was not kidding. It was a principle for me and sometimes it doesn't work out. Sometimes they look at you and go, 'We're just not paying it,' and you have to go, 'That's OK. <p><br></p><p><br></p>
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<p><br></p><p>As most of us know, everything worked out eventually and Leslie Odom Jr. played Aaron Burr for the filming. It would be hard to imagine anyone else in the role. When <em>Hamilton</em> debuted, Disney's streams were up an eye-popping 74% from the previous weekend.</p><span></span><p> "I love my white liberal friends, love white people, but, you know, don't be in the streets talking about Black Lives Matter if my Black life doesn't matter," Odom said. "Like, essentially, don't wait for the f***ing cops to kill me before my Black life matters. If my Black life matters, make sure I can take money home to feed my children."</p><p>Odom should not have to fight just to be treated like everyone else, nor should anyone. Yet somehow, still, this is the world we live in. If someone like Leslie Odom Jr. has to fight this hard to be an equal, and he made it very clear that he sought equality as opposed to special treatment, then where does that leave us?<br></p><p>Keep in mind that this happened in the entertainment industry, which tries to remind us of how accepting it is of gender and race in every single awards show it puts on. One has to wonder how genuine some of that really is. If you want to learn how to walk the walk, take a lesson from Leslie Odom Jr. He didn't want less than he deserved, and he didn't want more than he deserved. He wanted what was fair, and for those who believe in equality, Odom just chalked up a win. </p>
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