NASCAR’s Removal of the Confederate Flag Begs One Large Question

The organization's move to ban the confederate flag from NASCAR properties is both simple and seismic. If you have trouble reading this message, view it in a browser.       What Is NASCAR Without Racism?   NASCAR's banning of the confederate flag is a declaration so seismic, yet simple. It suggests that this deeply campy, bombastic, Americana tradition can exist on its own, divorced from the notion that it has to live in the shadow of a racist symbol. And make no mistake, the flag that the league's only black driver, Bubba Wallace, has been forced to drive under is a racist symbol. Esquire's Justin Kirkland, a lifelong NASCAR fan, reflects on the significance, and lasting legacy of the sport's long overdue acknowledgement. Read More           Alexis Johnson Isn't Covering Pittsburgh's Protests Right Now. The Reason Is Maddening.   On May 31, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Alexis Johnson sent a now-viral tweet anyone from Pittsburgh can relate to. Showing photos of the aftermath of the city's infamous Kenney Chesney concert, Johnson cleverly pointed out the hypocrisy behind criticizing the toll protests take on a city when compared to what a majority-white crowd does to its North Shore neighborhood once a year. That's not the story, though. The story is what happened when her bosses at the P-G found out about the tweet. The story is how they stopped allowing her to cover protests for violating a "social media policy" that, in their opinion, somehow alters her ability to report objectively on the protests. The story is how one of the paper's few black reporters is unable to lend her perspective on a movement that's sweeping her hometown, and the country. Esquire's Brady Langmann, also a Pittsburgh native, spoke to Johnson about her experience. Read More           Let's Topple the Racist Monuments of Culture Too   In response to nationwide protests against police brutality, Paramount Network cancelled the historically-racist, law-enforcement-glorifying true-crime series Cops this week. On Wednesday, HBO Max pulled Gone With the Wind (Donald Trump's favorite romanticization of slavery) from its streaming platform. And immediately, conservatives were outraged to see such staples of American entertainment made slightly less accessible than they were two weeks ago. But Cops and Gone With the Wind are only two examples of an entertainment industry that has elevated the stories and perspectives of white (and in many cases racist) Americans over those of BIPOC. Pulling Cops and GWTW from their pedestals in the American culture psyche are not a destruction of our history, but small steps toward bigger structural change in an industry that has influenced and glorified racism for a century. Esquire Culture Editor Matt Miller explains what else needs to happen. Read More           Stop Sweating Father's Day and Buy Your Dad This Yeti Mug Already   Drinks: We all...drink them. And unless some among us prefer the whole "lap it straight from the garden hose like a Labrador" method of drinking, we drink our drinks from drinking vessels. Of those, Esquire has Endorsed a few—a water bottle, a smart water bottle, a temperature control mug, and a travel mug. Now we add another favorite to the bunch. It is Yeti's 14-ounce Rambler mug, the one with the handle and plastic lid. This is a mug that'll go the distance, even if that distance is the seven feet from the coffee maker to the corner of the kitchen table you've commandeered as a home office. And dad? It'll soon become attached to his hand—you'll just have to endure hearing him tell mom, your friends, his friends, your neighbors, and anyone who'll listen how its technology keeps his cool drinks cool and his hot drinks hot. Read More           The Essential Movies and Series on Netflix That Examine Systemic Racism in America   Along with its massive selection of movies and shows, Netflix has made an effort over the past few years to give a platform to some of the most prominent storytellers on the planet, from the Obamas to Ava Duvernay. Miniseries and documentaries like Duvernay's When They See Us and 13th are among the most-watched and critically acclaimed in recent memory. With a massive subscriber base, Netflix has been able to place necessary stories about systemic racism at the fingertips of millions of viewers. Below we've compiled a list of the available essential movies, documentaries, mini-series, and shows that highlight racial injustice in America. Read More           The Armed Forces Shouldn't Have to Save Us From the President*'s Constitutional Abuses   Donald Trump was up early and tweeting on Thursday morning, bragging on how "our great National Guard troops...took care of the area around the White House" and how they "couldn't believe how easy it was." Elsewhere, a New York Times story highlights the pressure felt by the members of the Guard when they were caught between the crowd of protestors and the ignorant bloodlust rising in his administration. It seems that the Guard was deployed in the first place as a temporizing move because the president*, quivering in his bunker, had wanted to invade Washington, D.C. with the 82nd Airborne. So the leaders of the Guard knew that, if the administration* thought the Guard couldn't "handle" the protests, the escalation might prove unstoppable. Esquire's Charles P. Pierce explains how the insanity of using the National Guard as a hedge against the president*'s desire for a military occupation of his own capital city cannot be undersold. And that it all could have gone so very, very badly. Read More         Read More on Esquire.com       Follow Us     Unsubscribe  Privacy Notice   esquire.com ©2020 Hearst Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. Hearst Email Privacy, 300 W 57th St., Fl. 19 (sta 1-1), New York, NY 10019