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**One more NSFW warning, including animated nudity you can never unsee.**

Years ago, in the simpler time of 2003, a weird video took the internet by storm: “End of Ze World.” Living alongside the likes of Homestar Runner, All Your Base Are Belong to Us, Foamy the Squirrel, and other vintage internet phenomena, it was still a commentary on the state of the world, but it was less concerned with that than with its own silly sense of humor, and was noticeably different in tone from the sequel that debuted over the weekend.

The world, and the internet, has changed a lot in the 15 years since, and like many of the revivals of nostalgic properties that we’ve seen lately, the sequel gives the feeling that we can’t go home again. That’s a given, and one that presents two choices: try to recapture the magic of the original while ignoring how times have changed, or adjust to your new surroundings. Jason Windsor, the creator of the original in this case, went for the latter, and the result is a more explicit level of political and social commentary, and more focused barbs than random jokes.

(Here’s the original, in case you need a refresher.)

For some in the YouTube comments, that’s off-putting, since it seems the original was subtle enough (something I never imagined myself saying about that video, but here we are) that those viewers didn’t realize that their politics were at odds with those of the thing they were laughing at, or those of its creator. Maybe if we’d all been a bit more confrontational and overt in the first place, we wouldn’t have wound up in the situation we’re in now.

(featured image: Jason Windsor)

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You have to move on and have a relationship with your dad, but you never really forgive him. Things, between you and your father, will never be the way things are between a daughter and her faithful father.

R&B singer Ciara found herself in the middle of a firestorm this weekend when she posted a sermon clip telling single women why they haven’t found Mr. Right yet. Using the hashtag #LevelUp, Ciara shared a message preached by John Gray in which he says “too many women want to be married but are walking around in the spirit of a girlfriend…if you begin to carry yourself like a wife, a husband will find you.” Many sisters took offense to what they considered shaming single women. They kindly reminded Ciara that it was these same women who defended her co-parenting and relationship with her husband Russell Wilson when Black men were unnecessarily cruel. Responding to the criticism, she later posted a message explaining the #LevelUp hashtag and her decision to share the video. In part, she says “I was once that girl wanting to be loved a certain way but making the wrong choices…I realized the perfect love I was looking for was how God loves me, how he wants me to be loved…” I believe Ciara. I believe the dissolution of her relationship with her son’s father and ex-fiancé, Future, caused her to do a great amount of soul-searching. I believe, as with all intense heartbreaks, it led her to a deeper love of herself. Rediscovering self-worth is never a problem; telling single Black women they don’t have any is. Yet, for all the darts thrown at Ciara this past weekend, the issue isn’t with her. It’s with John Gray and pastors like him who push these messages.   Let’s be very clear: God didn’t say single women aren’t married because they don’t have the spirit of a wife; John Gray did. Though he initially came onto the scene as a Christian comedian, his messages aren’t funny in the least bit. If all it takes is carrying yourself as a wife for God to honor it with a mate, then why are we watching so many Christian wives go through the public humiliation of their husbands’ infidelities on social media and reality television? If all it takes is the spirit of a wife, how do we explain the ending of Ciara and Future’s relationship- an example that actually fits John Gray’s narrative? If a wife “isn’t the presence of a ring but the presence of your character”, what is a husband and why have we never seen sermon excerpts holding men accountable for the unethical behavior they exhibit in relationships?   The answer is simple. Relationship theology is only for Black women. Books, conferences, social media memes and everything in between are all geared towards making women believe their singleness is a consequence. It preys on heterosexual Black Christian women’s desire to be coupled and does nothing to undo the false narrative that their singleness is their fault. John Gray preached that sermon to Black Christian women, the demographic statistically considered one of the most religious groups in the world. Daily, the women he suggests lack the character of wives possess enough character to have fulfilling personal relationships with God, care for their families and engage in civic responsibility- which includes a commitment to their local church. It would seem that one would have a more informed and constructive understanding when it comes to Black churchwomen but these messages do not. And they don’t have to because, as long as they perpetuate the notion that some women are more deserving of relationships than others, they will always have a cult following.   This is possibly why some Black women took offense to any critique of this sermon and vigorously defend other sermons and books like it. This competition among Black Christian women is an old one but rears its ugly head in church and on social media any time women who possess sexual autonomy and agency are discussed. Sisters celebrate the disrespect these women experience in the belief that it shows they are of a higher quality, deserving a ring and holy matrimony. Black Twitter calls this the “Pick Me” syndrome but the truth is it is engrained in us as the right thing to do. Many Black Christian women have been indoctrinated with an insecurity and jealousy that masquerades as faith and righteousness. And messages like these don’t help to combat it. They continuously make sisters the scapegoat for all that is wrong within intimate relationships and pit us against each other when nobody will have our backs but other Black women.   Thankfully, there are entire discourses dedicated to our spiritual lives. Womanist theology and Black feminist religious thought articulate the particularities of Black women’s faith walks. Delores Williams, Wil Gafney, Marla Frederick, Tamura Lomax, Chaneequa Walker-Barnes and others engage in scholarship that explains why ministry for Black women must be critically nuanced and compassionate. Georgia Southern professor Monique Moultrie’s recent book, Passionate and Pious: Religious Media and Black Women’s Sexuality, is all about the impact of messages like John Gray’s on Black Christian women. Additionally, there are Black clergywomen and spiritual teachers who couch their ministries in liberation. Leslie D. Callahan, Neichelle Guidry, Cynthia Hale, Valerie Bridgeman, Renita Weems and many more preach and teach from womanist and Black feminist perspectives that enable sisters to become free without shame. Granted, these women have no problem telling us when our actions diminish our power and worth. Yet, they’re also publicly holding brothers accountable so that the community, as a whole, can be well. We rarely see this from Black male pastors and leaders. Where they have keen theological analysis on racial injustice, they fall flat when it comes to gender and sexuality. It requires too much self-reflection and truth-telling. I hope John Gray and others will begin to preach about the spirit of toxic masculinity from the pulpit because that is what is hurting us. With intimate partner violence in our community becoming too prevalent to ignore and brothers running from doing their emotional work, we would all benefit if Black men spent less time talking to women and more time talking to each other.   I love seeing Ciara happy. I love seeing Black women happy. Too much in this world tries to keep happiness from us. And it is possible to be happy with the person you think is best designed for you without claiming to know why other women haven’t met that person yet. The range of Black women’s experiences is just too vast for the answer to ever be that simplistic. ruLife has never been that black and white; we have always lived in the gray. What is needed, as we move forward, is less emphasis on what Black women are doing “wrong” and a commitment to communal uplift. We need more books, sermons and conferences that deal with the totality of Black intimacy and provide us with solutions so we can all heal and love each other better. That’s what needs to go viral; anything else is counterproductive and unnecessary.

We are truly living in a golden age of comic book-based television. From broadcast to cable to streaming, shows featuring an array of superheroes are everywhere. The CW alone could field a superhero show each night of the week now that Black Lightning, the network’s fifth DC Comics-based show from super producer Greg Berlanti, is finally ready for prime time. Starring Cress Williams as the titular hero, and created by the husband-and-wife producing team of Salim and Mara Brock Akil, Black Lightning — debuting tonight at 9pm — has already emerged as the best show on The CW, and is possibly the best superhero show of the genre.

Black Lightning was created by Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden in 1977 and is DC Comics’ first African American superhero. The television show is a very faithful adaptation of the original comics, retaining many of the elements established for four decades: Jefferson Pierce is a family man and principal of Garfield High School, his closest confidant is also his superhero tailor Peter Gambi (James Remar), and his arch nemesis is Tobias Whale (Krondon), leader of the infamous 100 gang.

Where Black Lightning differs from its Berlanti-verse brethren is that this is not an origin story. In fact, the first episode is titled “The Resurrection” and picks up with our hero “retired” from crimefighting for seven years. Much of the drama revolves around Jefferson’s promise to his ex-wife Lynn (Christine Adams) to hang up the tights and take care of their daughters Anissa (Nafessa Williams) and Jennifer (China Anne McClain). The idea of rebirth and return fascinated the Akils from the beginning.

In the press room during the “DC in D.C.” event hosted by Warner Brothers Television at the Newseum in Washington, the show’s creators were asked about the decision to start with the comeback. “Do you come back [to being a superhero] knowing what being Black Lightning has taken from you in the past,” asked Salim Akil. “How do you get back to that?”

“I always thought of [the show] as an origin story,” added Mara Brock Akil, “meaning when you decide when you want to get into the fight or accept your powers and to me, it’s almost like the character has two origin stories.”

There is a high probability we may get flashbacks to the first origin anyway. “Maybe one day,” the Akils teased. Even in the premiere, there is security cam footage of a younger, clean shaven Black Lightning, sporting his early-2000s era costume.

Where the show shines the brightest is in its nuanced depiction of being Black in contemporary America. This is the main reason that disconnecting it from the other CW shows works to its benefit. Though Freeland is a fictional city, it feels like a real urban setting. It could be Atlanta, Georgia (where it’s filmed) or Richmond, Virginia (which was reportedly an inspiration for the setting). When the producers of Arrow intimated they would be incorporating Black Lives Matter into the show’s current season, it was rightfully met with disdain on the internet.

Now that Black Lightning is on the air, it demonstrates how necessary it is to have the right voices behind the scenes to get the subject matter right. It matters that the show is conceived, written, and directed by the Akils because there is an authenticity to these voices that would be lacking from the pen of another writer. Characters that might come off as stereotypical feel real. The Blackness of Black Lightning is unapologetic, not monolithic.

Like his comic book counterpart, Jefferson Pierce is an educator. And it was important to maintain this aspect of the comics for the show’s creators. “I just thought it was a great way to stay connected to the community,” said Salim. “This man [Jefferson Pierce] walking through the school and communicating and being concerned with the kids, I wanted that to be an image that we put out into the culture so that people know this exists.”

“[Seeing a superhero who’s also a principal] is pretty awesome,” added Mara. “They’re the real heroes.”

Black Lightning is unlike anything The CW has ever put on air. From the music to the cinematography to the performances, this show isn’t just great, it’s electrifying.