This week TAN makes his debut on the new online home for Ebony magazine.I'm joining a group of writers charged with the task of bringing the venerable negro-mag institution into the 21st century. They're still feeling things out before they officially "launch" but I'm proud to be apart of something so black and so strong. So proud I don't even care that they pay me in grits! I hear the ladies like a little nightcap of grits and hennessy anyways ...
Last night I got to do a little market research with some Caucasian peeps, and test drove name-dropping the EbonyJET brand name. I was like, "I'm doing a little series on the Michael Vick stuff for EbonyJet." And they were like, "who?" And I was like "you know, Ebony magazine?" And they were like, "No, who are you. We don't know who you are." Then they left. But the exchange made me realize I hope they eventually lose the Jet part in the brand name. It's a little cumbersome. I feel like I'm trying to con caucasians by fitting all the blackmagazinesintoonename. There's no MaximStuff magazine. Or CosmoVogue. And I think you could just live with telling the eight readers of Jet that the magazine is now Ebony, or part of Ebony, or whatever. The wiki on Jet says that it was influential with its coverage of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. So I don't know, I'm sure they've done some other stories, but if that's what the white folks who write wikipedia think of when they think of Jet, then I suspect you need not be so heavily invested in the Jet brand. Because wikipedia writers run this ish.
Although if we brought back the Bus Boycott, that would totally be hot. Bus Boyhott (oh!).
Anyjet, now that I have sufficiently pissed off my new grits-providers, I better link this Michael Vick series before they take it down. There will be 4-5 pieces, and I'll leave this post up and link the segments as they go online:
Negro Law: Should We Toss Michael Vick To The Dogs?
Gold Medal Press Conference
Must Love
A Race Issue? A Race Opportunity (say: oooooh)
I Am Michael Vick
I never understood why a black magazine would be called Jet. What is that about? Is it a play on "Jet black," cuz if so that seems kind of racist. Or did the term "jet black" come into existence cuz of Jetmag. use ur new position to find out for us!!
ReplyDeletecongrats.
Hmph. At risk of losing my blessed internet anonymity, I reveal that GreatGrandpa gave them their start in life by leasing office space to them WAAAAAAAY back in the day. For which they never gave GreatGrandpa (or his son) any props. Although since they never gave GreatGrandpa any props my anonymity is probably well-preserved.
ReplyDeleteBut anyway, that's why I don't read the rag... Plus their fashion sense is just badawful.
But hey! Grits is grits! So congrats on the grits!
Jetebony makes better sense - and it becomes a new word, pronounced zhe-TEB-uh-nay.
ReplyDeleteOr just place the word Jet subscript to the Ebony, like "beta."
didn't Wings and Stevie Wonder duet on a song called EbonyJet?
ReplyDeleteOh to have been a fly on the wall in the room when you tried to explain it to the Caucs. South Africa and the Iraz. Maps. And US Americans.
ReplyDeleteYou guys have your own magazine? What's next, the right to vote?
ReplyDeleteYeah my mom is white and she calls BET bet, like placing a bet. It is so annoying.
ReplyDeleteMsP
PS- congrats on JET, good luck with that!
PPS- LOL @ blog port, you are so fired from leaving comments…
ReplyDeleteUm, long time reader, first time commenter.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have a confession to make. I have a crush on you. A really big one.
I just don't understand why there aren't more men like you in Los Angeles. I just don't understand.
I've got to say, EbonyJet and any derivative with both mag names is just too cumbersome. Keeping it real, I don't know any black people that read either publication because they associate it with being really old school and lame. That being said, I am glad they are stepping into the 21st century. I would like to see them come up with a much more clever name for the site though. Ebonline???
ReplyDeleteTAN if its not too much too ask would it be OK if I added my blog's link so I could steal a few of your readers? My blog is less professional but more on the reality blog series.
ReplyDeletehttp://minusthebars.livejournal.com
Jet...isn't that the one with the girls in bikinis? It's still around? Huh. go figure.
ReplyDeleteand on a side note, my "word verification" word was BJSBUUZ...let it marinate...
(sorry- feeling silly today)
^^ lol@ bjsbuuz. lol
ReplyDeletei think the jet part is stupid.
...and how cool are you for being in it??
maybe i need to start a little assimilation of my own. lol.
Mr. TAN? What do you think of Ebony's forays into licensing its brand? Like greeting cards? I work for the card company they're lending their name to and, um, well, what do you think?
ReplyDeleteI love ya in a blog crush type of way...not really the full thing but maybe floating somewhere between the O and V. Def. swaying to the right of V...
ReplyDeleteBoyhott and Anyjet... you do it all the time and I giggle everytime...
bloopty!