Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire
  • omnibus

Oscars?
Raymond Nat Turner, BAR poet-in-residence
02 Nov 2016
🖨️ Print Article

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

From cops good and bad to drone rangers, from wicked witches to lecherous buffoons, candidates and messages in this year's presidential race are scarcely distinguishable from some bad old movies.

Oscars?

by BAR poet in residence Raymond Nat Turner

“…It’s a Barnum and Bailey world,

Just as phony as it can be…”

—E.Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg

Best Picture?

“Olympics of Lying”

“Mike & Ike; Good Cop, Bad Cop”

“$campaigns and $elections”

“PSYOP 24 Months”

“Drone Ranger Rides 8 Years Past The Hague”

“All The Above…”

…And the winner is: “All The Above!”

Best Supporting Actor?

Best Bogeyman since McCain?

Hooray for Hollywood—

For The Rich Tourettes Hood:

Lewd Buffoon!

Perfect foil for

Best Actor:

Wicked Witch of War

Warmongering lead—

Paired perfectly with

Lewd Buffoon!

Best Director?

Wall Street

The 1%

The Capitalist Class

The Bourgeoisie

The Bosses

The Corporatocracy

The Police State

The Warfare State

All The Above

…And the winner is: All The Above!

Raymond Nat Turner Š 2016 All Rights Reserved

Besides being BAR's poet in residence, Raymond Nat Turner is an acclaimed poet, educator and performance artist. You can find more of his work at http://upsurgejazz.com

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


More Stories


  • Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor
    Christopher Black: Balancing the Unbalanced Scales of International Criminal Justice
    11 Jun 2025
    Christopher C. Black fought for justice in politically agendized international courts.
  • Jon Jeter
    Making a Mountain out of a Mole Hill, Trump Sends Troops to Los Angeles, Hoping to Energize His MAGA Base
    11 Jun 2025
    Trump deploys Marines against LA protesters, echoing Nixon’s Kent State crackdown. But this time, he faces a broader, greatly disaffected opposition ready to fight back.
  • Roberto Sirvent, BAR Book Forum Editor
    BAR Book Forum: Edna Bonhomme’s Book, “A History of the World in Six Plagues”
    11 Jun 2025
    This week’s featured author is Edna Bonhomme. Bonhomme is a historian of science, culture writer, and journalist based in Berlin, Germany. Her book is A History of the World in Six Plagues: How…
  • Jill Clark-Gollub
    Daniel Ortega is No Bukele
    11 Jun 2025
    Ortega and Bukele are polar opposites: one invests in dignity and democracy, the other in mass incarceration and imperial alliances.
  • Aiyana Porter-Cash
    False Promises of Protection Embedded in U.S. Militarism and Carcerality
    11 Jun 2025
    "Protection" is a lie—a pretext for state violence, militarism, and control, targeting the marginalized while masking harm as care. True safety comes not from oppressive systems, but from resistance…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us