Archive for the ‘Resources’ Category

This Week in Singled Out 9-21-09

Monday, September 21, 2009
posted by admin

New Blog Post Inspired by Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s decision to marry after one month of dating.

Baller Alert gets the scoop on Khloe and Lamar Odom’s upcoming wedding.

Footage of Rihanna singing in high school surfaces. As a Rihanna fan I HAD to post this.

Slate Magazine advises a woman on how to deal with her new boyfriend who is COVERED from head to toe in…MOLES.

Newsweek reports on why the oldest people in the world are typically women.

Today in Singled Out Week of September 1st

Wednesday, September 2, 2009
posted by J Danielle

Portrayals of Single Women by Tyler Perry, letters to Perry and to all Black men, and a discussion on whether you could be single forever

Letter love: SingleinAtlanta’s blog posts a letter to all black men from all black women and The Beautiful Struggler writes in Open Letter to Tyler Perry.

I have MAJOR issues with Tyler Perry’s Portrayals of women, in particular SINGLE BLACK woman. In Perry’s world, single black women are all struggling with children and drug habits or success has made them so arrogant and classless a man would never want to touch them. In either case, all we need to do is find a man who will rescue us.

Courtney Young writes a wonderful article on Perry for The Nation (my favorite magazine) and does a GREAT job of capturing many of my feelings on Tyler Perry and his work.

Tyler Perry’s “Daddy’s Little Girls” gives me the same feeling that this stereotypical, over the top and extremely offensive video I ran across on facebook originally uploaded to DimeWars provided me with.  To some it will be hilarious, to others like myself, it will be disturbing.  The video is entitled “The Adventures of Tameka the Arrogant African American Professional Who Can’t Keep Man.”  Darn, the title gives it all away!

Over on the blog, the newest article is on whether or not you could be Happily Single forever. I am curious to hear people’s thoughts. I hear some people say it they’d be fine, others like me…not so much.

I believe that black women are not angry that black men choose to date women of other races. I believe that black women are jealous of the fact that black men have more freedom than they do to make such a choice.

When black females snipe about interracial dating it’s usually because traditionally black men have BLAMED black women for their DECISION to date interracially. And, most importantly, because men of other races don’t pursue black females like white and other women want pursue black males.

Basically black females have displaced jealousy that comes across as anger.  If Roco, Matt, Juan, Giovanni, Kamir, and Biff were dating pursuing black women in HEAVY numbers you wouldn’t hear a PEEP out of black women when it comes to black men dating outside the race. Black girls wouldn’t have time to comment, they’d be too busy sampling all the tasty flavors.

But alas that is not the case. Black men in America are held up as the standard of masculinity. Everybody wants to give people dap and listen to Jay-z cause the cool black guys around the corner are doing it. Unfortunately, black women aren’t held up as the standard of femininity. It is very difficult for black women to overcome the personality stereotypes.

Photo via cdn.theurbandaily.com/

Photo via cdn.theurbandaily.com/

There are plenty of relationships in which women bring the chocolate to the party, check this post over at balleralert.com for a taste. But the fact remains that those “other” men are not approaching or as interested in black women as their women are in black men.

In other words, it’s not fair!

Back men contribute to this problem by picking up the degrading language in rap songs and speaking as though they are living a similar lifestyle. I can forgive many rap stars for their words because they actually live the life they are talking about. They actually are approached frequently by promiscuous females. They actually are aggressively pursued by girls who want them just because of their fame or money.

But most men aren’t dealing with these types of women.

Photo via Vibe.com

Photo via Vibe.com

Yet too many black men speak as though they live the lifestyle of some famous rapper or well-known professional athlete. Too often I hear men with no gold complaining about gold diggers. Men with no group criticizing groupies! Men who are in need of sex calling women whores. I often wonder what they even know about it??

The answer is NOTHING.

Nevertheless, when black women see a black man with a woman who isn’t black, they should train themselves not to care.  That includes when you view a blog on Terrell Owens or any other eligible celebrity black bachelor and his latest non-black conquest. Keep your comment to yourself. You will feel better and be better for it. Not all black men who date interracially believe negative things about black women, and if they do, that’s an issue for them to figure out, not one for you to point out. Chalk it up to a loss. On the other hand, black men must stop putting black women down to defend their choice to date interracially. The truth is it’s not headscarves, values, morals, or attitudes that make black men date outside their race. It’s simply a personal choice that doesn’t require defending.

Finally, black women should aggressively explore other races of men as potential mates to assist in ridding themselves of that “All the black men are gay, taken, or dating women of other races” feeling. I recommend the, “if you can’t beat’em, join’em” approach.  Try happy hour with the white people. Do brunch at the Asian fusion restaurant. Show these South Asian men how sweet and nice you are. Check the “race doesn’t matter” box on your Eharmony profile.

Everyone should know that black women are approachable, generous, and know how to work with their men and support them so they can reach their dreams, just like any other race of women. Remember when the First Lady was first introduced to the public? Certain groups of Americans were determined to paint her as an angry person. She refused to let it stick, so should you.

Anyone who says the numbers of marriageable black men in this country aren’t low is a damn uneducated fool.  However, a black woman’s power to increase the odds of her getting married and bearing children within a marriage is in her own hands. Though it may require thinking outside of the box…or at least checking a different one.

Where is He? Where is She? WHERE ARE THEY?

Monday, August 3, 2009
posted by J Danielle

Singled-Out has finally launched. I’m so happy. I want to thank everyone who has followed up with me asking me when the site will be up and telling me they can’t wait to read my posts.

There’s no way I can convey my gratitude. Writing and socializing are two of my favorite things to do, and having people express a desire to read my writing and discuss it with me and others is the ultimate compliment. I take it very seriously.

Since this is a site dedicated to the Single Life, it’s only appropriate that I tell you where you can actually find your potential future ex-wife or husband…I know you’re dying to know. Well, I can’t tell you him or her’s exact location but I did find this handy map that tells us in certain terms where the single folks are.

Right now I am trying to put together a successful plan to move out to Los Angeles for reasons related and unrelated to my perrenially single status…judging by the map, I might be headed in the right direction!

To summarize the map, single men are more plentiful further west with high numbers in North and South California and solid numbers in places like Nevada and Arizona and a few other less populated west and mid-western states. On the flip side, there’s a bounty of single females in Eastern States in particular upper East Coast corridor from DC to NY.  I must say I was a little surprised at the numbers in the Southern States. I always thought had I remained in the South I probably would have been married by now. Since this map doesn’t have a lot of economic or racial context, I guess we will have to have fun speculating about the trends to which it might allude.

Single Map - Published February 2009 in National Geographic Mag

Single Map - Published February 2007 in National Geographic Mag

The map was published by National Geographic in February 2007 and its based on information contained in the 2000 Census. If you know me, you know that I am ANXIOUSLY awaiting the 2010 Census to see how/if numbers and locations of single people have changed in the United States and how much. And, of course, I can’t wait to blog about it!  You can view the 2005 census by visiting www.census.gov.  For all my stat-minded folk, I welcome your assessments.

Looking at the map, are there any surprises? Any guesses on how this breaks down by race or even economic status?