Gas prices have fallen to their lowest since 2020. That’s some Biden-nomics for your ass! Now you can afford that $25,000 pyramid-shaped turkey. (CNBC)
A Republican Virginia governor working with a fully Democratic legislature hasn’t happened since the 1990s, and this legislature is also very Black and proud. (Essence)
Renée Graham discusses the “crisis in masculinity” that has Republican men acting like schoolyard bullies. (Boston Globe)
Julianne Malveaux on how mainstream banking institutions have historically ignored Black communities. (Ebony)
Why do people torture themselves trying to make turkey taste like something it’s not? (Seattle Times)
I once tried the dry brines, wet brines, basting, spatchcocking, and erotic herb butter massages. Now, I follow the Adam Ragusea method and enjoy my Thanksgiving.
The Washington Post had an article last weekend about the swing voters who are “tuning out” from politics because it’s so mean and angry. You’d think they wouldn’t even consider voting for Donald Trump, but swing voters are weird. Anyway, I agree with those who point out that the constant negativity (on top of the, you know, overtly negative policies) is a deliberate Republican strategy. It prevents Joe Biden and before him Barack Obama from delivering on their promise of a post-partisan government that works for the American people, and it gets squishy swing voters to either sit out elections or vote for Republicans. Yeah, that last part makes no sense. Anyway, Democrats can’t ignore the negativity. They have to break through the noise and make it clear that Republicans are responsible for this mess. (Digbys Blog)
Lacretia Johnson Flash, a Black woman, learned she shares an ancestor with Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky. You can probably guess why. (NBC News)
Jewish Harvard student Maya Bodnick writes, “Elites have found that it’s easy to punch down at students of color; they apparently find it much harder to speak up when powerful right-wing white men espouse hatred.” (Slow Boring)
A running list of advertisers who are fleeing Elon Musk’s $44 billion hate blog. If you’re still on Xitter, you can block any remaining advertisers from your feed. (Media Matters)
Rebecca shared this Tab with me because she’s concerned about my health, I guess. (Metro)
This Thanksgiving debate is not new and will likely never be settled, but Native people have a reason to resent the holiday. (The Nation)
Rembert Browne’s description of Black Thanksgiving recalls many pleasant childhood memories. You can never go back to your youth or survive eating multiple helpings of all those delicious soulful sides. (Bon Appetit)
And then, a honk from the driveway, a sign that a certain aunt—who will remain nameless because collard greens giveth, collard greens taketh away—has arrived, with little intention of carrying the food inside by herself because she is equal parts Cleopatra, Patti LaBelle, Nefertiti, and Tina Knowles. We waited because she is one of the primary forces in this family. Related: She’s got 20 percent of the food in her trunk. The men in the family, who can be counted on one hand, race out to get the food. Running out the kitchen, I get a kiss from my aunt as she walks through the door, only seconds away from Cyclops-level side-eye via her younger sister, known as my mom.
A dear friend is visiting this weekend, and this is a great list of places at the Portland airport where she can grab a bite or a drink — on the way back, of course. We’ll feed her when she gets here. (Eater)
Turkey Day is tomorrow, which means it’s time to start my “Mystery Science Theater 3000” marathon. If you need me, I’ll be singing the left side of the menu.
Follow Stephen Robinson on Bluesky and Threads.
Subscribe to his YouTube channel for more fun content.
Catch SER on his podcast, The Play Typer Guy.
it mah burfday everywonk - whoohoo, I'm an old!
pouring rain and cold right now, so a morning wake and bake and a nap first thing, I think!
re: the crisis in masculinity
I will probably bitch about about my ex-husband until I get a divorce (hoping to have it done by the end of the year). He left because I "don't meet his emotional needs." When I asked him exactly what I could do to meet them, all he could say was, "YOU DIDN'T SHOW ME ANY SYMPATHY WHEN I EXPERIENCED SEXISM*!"
Men are mad because they want us to treat them better than they have treated us. They want compassion where they have shown no compassion. As the people in power, they have shown NO compassion for our need to own our bodies or to remove ourselves from oppressive settings. Where are pay increases to bring the pay for women up? Where are Hygiene products? No, Men have shown no compassion for those they oppress, and I have no compassion for them. Fuck yes I am mean and I am angry. I treat people as kindly as they vote for me and my momma.
*Someone wrote "Men need more training in working with victims of abuse" in the group chat of a training he was in and when he told me I said, "It's true," and then when he told me I should feel bad that he experienced sexism, I said, "I feel bad for the women who were harmed because of the abuse they continue to experience because of poor training."