Pioneer1

ProfD There's no benefit to shooting heroine regardless how high or good it makes a person feel. Lol....THOSE ARE the benefits! Sometimes the only thing a person wants IS to get high and feel good. They don't care about their health or future. Got them pill dudes here who work nice jobs & would rather play video games instead of chasing snatch box. That's because they've been so accustomed to it that they're better at using SOMEBODY ELSE'S "joy stick" to have fun than at using their own....lol.

Mel Yep! It does. I've studied people long before I even knew I was studying folks. I realized I could hear them before they even knew they were telling me who they were. So I can say a few well-placed words, questions, or statements they probably never expected, and all of a sudden, the real person appears. I love those "there you are" moments. Looks like you've been in the wrong profession....lol. Instead of sitting at a desk with your hair bald up in a knot anchoring the news or pushing carts of cold beer and soda pop up and down those tight airplane aisles, you should have been a PIMP (or a Madam); because that's what pimps....successful ones...are able to do. I have an Uncle who was a pimp and he told me he had been able to do the same thing since a child. Not only was he able to read people's thoughts and read their auras and colors but like you said he learned how to find about a person's entire history just by asking them a few strategic questions. Psychology calls it deductive reasoning where learning one fact about a person will certainly reveal other facts about them just as surely as knowing one is an athlete will reveal to you that they don't smoke, watch what they eat, and exercise on a regular basis. But he was able to do it on a much higher and more sophisticated level. I've seen him in action. He used to be able to point to people and tell me what they were all about and what they were into and then I'd go up and ask them and he was ON THE MONEY. He could do this with White people as easily as he could with Black people. It's a skill and gift that some would argue that he used negatively to exploit people, but it's certainly a skill, talent, and gift. Once I was divorced, I realized I didn't need marriage to make my life complete. After learning the structure, I'm sure these Gen X men realize that marriage was not the goal, but rather a step toward understanding themselves. Most of us Gen X Black men realize that marriage...like most other institutions in this society....are just SCRIPTS written for a play or movie that we weren't intended to star in or be the main characters in anyway, so we chose not to follow them. The wedding ceremony itself...which has always been expensive and lavish...wasn't designed for poor or working class people. It was obviously designed for wealthy people and a way to merge the wealth of families and keep it in a tight circle. On top of that, marriage as it was structured in the West was designed for the man to work while the women stayed at home and kept the children and house. Today women have to work....which means they will inevitably meet OTHER MEN and most likely will either leave their husband for them or just stay and have sex with other men they've met at work on the down low. Most of us past a certain age have seen this and realize the sham of it and decided it's not worth it. That's what I learned and am remembering on my journey. I had to go all the way back to who I was before the world told me what I should value to understand my value in the world and what I value. Well, just don't go TOO far back...lol...you'll end up back in Brooklyn. Watching two rats fighting over a piece of Jamaican Jerked chicken. ProfD IMO, as a society, we need to do a better job of telling the truth about marriage. Marriage is a business arrangement, er, a contract between a man & woman to share their lives. 🤣 Exactly. But this must be CLEARLY understood by BOTH PARTIES upon entering the agreement. They can't be entering into a business contract assuming that it's all about LOVE and that they will remain faithful to eachother forever. As a man you MUST realize and even expect that if you can't take care of your family alone and your wife has to work....expect that she will meet other men and may even end up having sex with them! Prepare yourself for this FACT. Those poor and working class men who DON'T realize and accept this are the ones filling up the local headlines with so many murder-suicides.

ProfD It's funny that you mentioned Chipotle, because I haven't been there for years but since I'm on vacation now I've been TEARING UP some Chipotle for the past few days...lol. I'm enjoying that spicy honey chicken they serve now...lol. I'm not sure what's happening with the vegetables but I know those kids back there fixing the order aren't practicing the most sanitary habits. I don't know how many times I've had to get at those skinny White girls with yoga pants on and phones jammed into the pubic hair, to NOT fix our food with the same gloves they just got through clearing all of the trash and smudge off the counter-top with!!!! DON'T DO THAT. Next thing they'll looking at me all juicy eyed and start getting apologetic. Sorry young lady..didn't mean to raise my voice at you but DON'T DO THAT.......lol. I'm not in Michigan right now but I guess whatever it is that has been going around has spread to different states. As you've suggested, this mess usually comes from these farm laborers shitting out in the fields and not properly washing their hands. This is yet another problem when you get too much mass migration and let so many illegal immigrant in here by the millions. But then again, the government may have released something also. Who knows? Do you know who I really blame for this? Black America. We've been here long enough that we should have our own doctors, hospitals and scientist on the case to INTERCEPT shit like this and prevent it from spreading or happening in the first place. We are supposed to be the moral guidance of this nation, so what happens is what WE allow to happen through out indifference.

ProfD Drugs, alcohol & fast food benefit a lot people too. Doesn't mean it's good for them. If it BENEFITS them, it MUST be good for them on some level....by very definition. A man can be the boss at home but he's just an employee on his job. He doesn't have the same power in both situations. A man can be the CEO of a company, but doesn't have ANY power in the church he attends to and goes to the priest for guidance. Not having power in a given environment doesn't equate to being powerless. Either a person is POWERLESS or they're not. Amazing how people are willing to die for a flag but nothing else. Some people join the military...not for money or patriotism but simply to be able to KILL people. Even if they have to risk dying in the process....as long as they get to kill as many people as they can. Maybe so in the United States. Getting high & playing video games is not a luxury in most countries.😁 It's a luxury HERE TOO, unless you're living with somebody else who has to work and pay the bills...lol. Cheap azz noodles are popular like soccer throughout the world. That's because much of the world is poverty stricken and are more focused on getting ANYTHING they can to eat, even if it's not the best food for them. Those cheap ass Ramen noodles have almost no nutritional value and basically just fills you up so you're not hungry. People eat that shit and often develop IBS because it's so processed that it sits in the guts like a brick, for days.

Man you killed it with that one. Who else would have thought of the Poker analogy and not letting others know what kind of cards you're carrying.....lol.

I think it's a maturity level also. We may have different opinions and come from different perspectives but I've noticed that we both bring less emotion and more logic to the conversation. Also, like you said we tend not to take things too personal. That's one of the things I've noticed lacking in many of the younger men today. They are too "catty". They act more like women. Probably because so many were raised without fathers. They take disagreement as personal insult and get emotional about it. Or if they do get insulted or fall out with one of their friends they stop speaking to them and they immediately become an "op". So many of my young (under 35) male family members have other men they no longer "fucks with" over petty shit that older men would have laughed about back in the day.

I've learned that one of the better moves to make when first meeting others is to DOWN PLAY one's qualities. If people see you at what they believe to be your worst and still want to be with you, then you know the relationship can only get better as you reveal more of your true self.

ProfD Religion is a legalized hustle that benefits a whole lot of people. Whether this is true or not, the fact that you acknowledge that it benefits a lot of people explains it's necessity. The point isn't whether or not our Black heroes were afraid to die, they took on the mission instead of choosing a safer & easier life. Correct. They understood and accepted a mission they believe was greater than their own personal comfort. I believe many if not most of them were Divinely ordained for their particular fate in this world. From Nat Turner to MLK. Their road was already chosen for them. There are degrees & conditions that can render someone powerless in a given situation. Powerless.....in a "given situation"? A millionaire, without any money to buy lemonade because he doesn't have his wallet on him while he's out jogging...lol. They should be complaining for a raise & paid holidays considering $23/hour is not a livable wage. Probably not in the DMV, but in Western Michigan it's a pretty decent wage for a single person or even a couple if both are working. Not the best, but not bad. It's really what they DO with their money. Still, it is a small number of people running the show relative to the population. That's your typical corporation or business anyway, lol. Nature designed for smart people to be in the minority. Of any group you're going to only have a minority in leadership. It's nature and makes sense because the body should be bigger than the brain operating it. Interestingly, the people getting killed have no say or control over when & how they die. Lol....if they did, they wouldn't go and you wouldn't have many people defending the nation. These world leaders can order other people to fight & die while they sit back & enjoy the riches & other finer things in life. Most of the soldiers in every human society are in their late teens and early 20s. If it were up to THEM...not only wouldn't the nation ever go to war but most of military life would consist of getting high, playing video games, and eating cheap ass noodles...lol. Old men for vision....young men for war.

Isn't it funny how I can disagree with ProfD over many subjects. Disagree with him for days or even weeks over MANY things.....yet it NEVER reaches to the point of name calling, threats, or insults? There are atleast 2 subjects that we have CONSTANTLY disagreed on lately and it hasn't come CLOSE to any type of challenge or confrontation. Yet there are some people I can't exchange 5 posts with before there's a confrontation....lol Every other post is a jab, or insult, and after a while we just IGNORE eachother....lol. I'm curious as to why this is? Maybe he feels I'm not worth fighting with or maybe there's just no hostile spirit between us. Sometimes I wonder is it me or am I intentionally avoiding confrontation with my brother because of his intellect and ability to articulate. However I don't think that's the reason because I honestly haven't had so much as a DESIRE to call him a name, insult him, or take a jab at him over something he said or some position he's taken, despite our many disagreements.

ProfD There is no confusion on my part but maybe I'll take it into consideration for the people in the back of the room i.e. lurkers. Lol....appreciated. The same people create the conditions that make times hard for weaker people leading them to despair & sometimes self-destruction. The preacher who feeds them the "pie in the sky" didn't necessarily create the conditions, but they certainly exploit them and benefit from them. Right. But, if Dr. MLK Jr. & others like him were afraid to fail &/or die in pursuit of their mission, our condition might be a lot of different. Who said MLK wasn't afraid to die? I'm almost certain that he WAS afraid to die but just fought through that fear to accomplish his mission. Courage isn't the abscence of fear but powering through it. Using the money analogy, there are people who have houses, cars, clothes, shoes, etc., yet, they are broke. No cash in their pockets nor can they go to the ATM & pull out $500 on demand. They borrow money from others until pay day &/or rack up overdraft fees on the bank accounts which is the modern day equivalent of bouncing a check. My analogy still stands. They may have THINGS but still no money. Thus they are broke. Like a child living at home with their parents may have a room, drive a car (their parents'), eat well, and live well but are broke as a joke and have no actual money themselves. Same goes for power. One can have enough power to call shots around friends & family or tell coworkers what to do but they are powerless when it comes to other areas of their lives. It's all relative. You're QUALIFYING what you call "powerless". Powerlessness is rather absolute. Either a person is POWERLESS or they aren't. If they have power with or over ANYBODY, they aren't powerless. There's nothing wrong with dying especially if/when one hasn't accomplished anything other sucking oxygen & taking up space on the planet I think it depends on 2 things: 1. Whether or not the person is ready or WANTS to die. 2. The MANNER in which a person dies. Nobody wants a horrible gruesome death. That type of threat should be enough motivation for that younger person to either work for themselves &/or find a better job with paid holidays. Or stop complaining and grow up, lol. Especially if they're being paid $23 an hour for what they're doing. It doesn't take a whole lot of smarter people to dominate &/or control the masses. Dictators run countries with millions & billions of people living there. They're not smarter than everyone else in their countries. The people they have helping them, usually are. The President doesn't run the entire country by himself. He has an entire staff and cabinet to assist him. Sure. Military strategists come up with various scenarios for killing people. The end result is still the same...victory or defeat. Right now, nobody can really say the US has won the dust-up with Iran. That's because the U.S. isn't really trying their best. Kind of like Russia in Ukraine....their playing around and half-assing. They're more concerned with public sentiment and global image so they are careful not to go too hard. Violence is the last card played when more intelligent alternatives have not worked. That's usually the route more intelligent people make. Less intelligent people often go the violent route first.

Mel Not an improvement in the way you think. Yes, your assessment is consistent with what I meant. There are a lot of women of color....not just Black but Brown and even Yellow who want their children to come out looking closer to White and less like them not just because they think Caucasians are more attractive....but because they feel being closer to White will make their lives easier. Mulatto offspring of White slave owners had it easier in the house than the Field Negroes. The Meztizo offspring of the Conquistadores had it easier than their Indigenous mothers Besides forced rape, women have a history of linking up with the male oppressor...not for her own sake but for the sake of her progeny. I remember when one daughter said her suitor was from Egypt. She was turned off when he jumped because her pit bull 😄 Ofcourse, Most Arabs and other Middle Easterners...like most Africans...don't have a love affair with dogs like they do in the West, lol. In the East, dogs are used to hunt and protect the house....they aren't kept as beloved pets INSIDE the house. We learned that shit from White folks because dogs were THEIR best friends, lol. Arabs and Africans.....because they tend to have more of their cultures intact...maintain their distance from dogs and keep them outside. You'll almost never see an Arab or African smooching and kissing dogs on the mouth like they do in the U.S. or Europe. As far the 1%, I can't say it was business transaction. Attraction probably came first. But from my experience it seems like white men are quick to marry - not necessarily quicker than Black men, but white men are going to step up anyway —because patriarchy. When it comes to marriage with Black men, it feels like they are signing up for partnership. And that takes a lot of contemplation on their part. I could be wrong, but at least that's how I felt when Black men talked to me about marriage. Honestly, there was a lot of I want to marry you but I need you to ...blah, blah because I'm not a traditional-type woman. Even my dad told my mom I was a handful lol. With white men it felt like they were supposed to do it and did, well at least they were quick to ask. ((Pioneer1 jumps up and down in excitement)) Oooh oooh....I got a GOOD video for you, I was just watching this morning! It's only a few minutes. When you have time check it out and tell me if it resonates with what you've experienced and observed.

ProfD Nowadays, some folks are so busy in their lives that they don't have time to meet people in their daily routine. Well if they don't even have time to even MEET people, they have even LESS time to date and fuck....lol. Another thing is if a common friend thinks two people may be a match but won't meet each other under normal circumstances, that common person will set them up. Yes. That makes sense, and sometimes it works out......sometimes. Sometimes you try to hook two friends up and end up making 2 enemies because you insulted them. You hook ONE ugly person up with ANOTHER ugly person, and both of them get mad because you suggested that they were so ugly they deserved to be with somebody else who was ugly too...lol. Now they spend the rest of the month thinking to themselves...... "Now why would she think, that I'd want to date a woman who looked like THAT???? Unless she thought we were on the same level???" I'm an old skool caveman to the the point that I don't believe in dating apps or set-ups or anything else. I prefer to meet women out in the wild & let nature take its course. Not only is it more natural but more comfortable and fun that way, in my opinion. Finding a mate through a dating app and questionnaire is like seriously asking somebody on a date is it ok if you can kiss them and touch their genitals. Yes it's logical, but very unnatural and awkward. When it comes to meeting another person, not only do you see them but you have to SMELL them...their pheromones and the spiritual VIBES they give off. All of this plays a role in attraction. I've said for years and I'll still say, dating apps is for WHITE PEOPLE because many of their marriages and unions are SHAMS anyway. They force themselves to be together for reproductive reasons. Mel My first true love, my friend, my first born's father is 5' 6"... I'm 5'8" So there's that. Shit, who was he....Eazy E? I'm sure you weren't wearing the shoes you're wearing in this picture....lol. This makes a lot of sense, @Pioneer1 !!! All of those exclamation marks makes it seem as if you were surprised that it even came from me....lol. But there are certain types of men who marry up but they travel in a different circles. See: Alexis Ohainian married to Serena Williams estimated net worth 400M? Andrea Preti married to Venus Williams whose est net worth $65 M - $95 M? That wasn't love, those were business moves...lol. And as sad as it may seem....... Judging by how them and a lot of Black people see themselves, perhaps it may have been the sisters THEMSELVES who considered themselves the lucky ones who were "marrying up" because they were Black women who found themselves the object of the affection of White men. Especially if they have any offspring from those unions. They'll see that as some sort of "improvement" on their progeny. When rich people and celebrities marry eachother, you can't assume it's love. It's usually a business deal or their agents encouraging it for strategic reasons. TRUE love is two people working at Taco Bell fall inlove with eachother and run down to city hall and get married. Or some man working at Home Depot giving a homeless woman and her children a ride, they develop feelings for eachother...and after months of dating they get married and he accepts her children as his own. If two poor or working class people meet, marry, THEN become rich....that's one thing. But if people who are ALREADY rich and famous hook up, you have to suspect ulterior motives for the union.

ProfD For whatever reason, you refuse to acknowledge that type a failure to use power makes one powerless. I do acknowledge it.....IF a person doesn't use it because they're lacking it. However if a person DOES have power....and doesn't use it, then they are NOT powerless. They are simply not using the power they possess. You can't call a millionaire "broke" simply because they aren't using their money properly or at all. Broke means you don't have ANY money.......not HAVING it in your possession, but simply not using it. Perhaps you should use a more accurate term to cut down on the confusion, lol. The reason Christians are taught that suicide is a sin is because their religious belief needs them to live a life of suffering. I'm not sure about that...lol. I think they're just trying to prevent people from killing themselves if times get too hard for them. People are placed in greater confinement for a reason. Some would argue that if they were more intelligent, they would not have ended up there in the 1st place. They may have been intelligent...but not intelligent ENOUGH to evade getting caught, lol. Or perhaps those who investigated and captured them were MORE intelligent. His intelligence & influence led to his assassination. Some would argue why did he even bother to fight for Black people. Yes, those who didn't know him or his Mission WOULD question why he even bothered to fight for Black people. Those who knew him, his Mission, and his love for Black people and desire to help us improve our condition would NOT question why he was willing to fight and die for our people. They clearly understood why. ...whether they agree with it or not. ...whether it makes sense or not. The reasons he did what he did were crystal clear. Again, one is powerless if they refuse to exercise it for whatever reason i.e. fear, ignorance, indifference, etc. Come on now Prof.....we're running into another "fundamental disagreement" or "counter point" again....lol. Claiming somebody is powerless simply because they aren't using their power is the same as claiming somebody is poor or broke just because they aren't using the money they clearly have. If they have it, they aren't broke. If a person has power...whether they use it or not...they aren't powerless. Hope does nothing. Hope gives a person or a people the reason to CONTINUE instead of giving up and possibly dying. If they keep going they may either get the solution or figure out the solution. If they give up hope they may either die or kill themselves before that solution comes. Failure means get better & try again. Or try something else...lol. Black folks cannot give up on dismantling & destroying the system of racism white supremacy. I agree. However we may have to consider SEVERAL different Alternatives instead of focusing on the 2 or 3 that have shown themselves not to be working. Again, having power & failing to use it especially to over oppression is being rendered powerless. Again....fundamental disagreement. Either a person HAS power in their possession or they don't. I'm never going to believe Black folks are so unintelligent that they cannot use their power to dismantle & destroy the system of racism white supremacy. That's ok...you don't have to, lol. Like one of my managers tells some of the newer younger employees who don't like or want to work holidays, "That's ok....you don't HAVE to work."......but by the way he says it, they know what he's implying, lol. There's a number of reasons & factors for the continued oppression of Black folks. A lack of intelligence is not even on the list. Way too many smart Black people on the planet to believe such a thing. .....but what if there are WAY MORE smarter White folks??? To dismantle & destroy the system of racism white supremacy takes more than intelligence. One has to be willing to take action which might result in violence. I agree. However still, intelligence is one of the major factors because it is involved in deciding HOW that violence is implemented and strategized to be most effective.

Mel Lol....how are you going to sit up there and list ALL of them as "number 1" on the list????? There's really no ranking because my ideal man has all three. Even if you met all the men (friends, lovers, associates, acquaintance) that I had an opportunity to have in my life - you'd see the all share the same characteristics. While I'm sure Troy welcomes your participation, this list was actually crafted for men because we tend to look for different attributes in the opposite sex than women do. Some of what you value, we can take or leave Like height....lol. I don't care how short a woman is. I'd date a MIDGET if she was sexy...lol. And WOULDN'T be ashamed to walk around with her in public. I'd pick her up and carry her in one arm like a baby is she wanted me to. There was one man, a friend set me up with, and we went out on a date. See, I've learned that's a tell tale sign right THERE...the need to be "set up" for a date. Most people who are atleast moderately attractive don't need to be "set up" to meet other people. They naturally attract others either at work or while they're out and about in their daily life. Usually it's people who are generally not attractive enough to meet people in their day to day life....for whatever reason be it looks or personality....who need to be "set up" by a friend or turn to dating apps. Just like if a person is constantly in and out of jail......there's usually a reason for it. If a person has a hard time finding or attracting others, there's usually a reason. I have never or would ever entertain, date or even tease a broke man. See, that's one of the major differences between what most women are looking for and what most men are....lol. Most men could care less about the financial status of a woman. She could be too broke to pay ATTENTION let alone pay her bills...lol...doesn't matter as long as she was sexy, or pretty, or ultra-feminine. See all of those mail order brides from dirt poor countries that men are willing to spend millions of dollars to get? intelligence see this denontation it was what makes a man the entire package Yet another difference between most men and most women. Most men aren't looking for a super intelligent woman, just one who is intelligent enough to KNOW HOW TO ACT IN PUBLIC...lol. As long as she ain't acting a loud mouth ghetto fool when you take her out somewhere and doing things like.... -Getting into arguments with other women while standing in line. -Mean mugging and cussing out the waitress who has to serve us our food. -Threatening men with what I'M going to do to them when they look at her wrong or say something she doesn't like I don't care whether she can even read or write, as long as she has enough sense to carry herself in a mild, non-aggressive, feminine manner. attractiveness If he has the first two - he definitely has this one. I'm glad you said this because I initially was going to mention it to Troy. Attractiveness involves ALL of these attributes and how they relate to eachother synergistically to make a person desirable. I presumed when he wrote "attractiveness" he meant LOOKS, so I rolled with it. But I would have chosen another word to be more specific like "beauty" or "aesthetics" dealing with the physical outward appearance.

It could happen, but he would have to be a MASCULINE gay man....not an effeminate acting one.