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I guess I know that I have very little control over any political issue so I don't worry about that stuff at all. I tend to worry more about how to make more money. I look at President Obama as exactly what he is, a president/figurehead. I am proud that he is a brother and I have no shame at all in being proud of his accomplishment in attaining the presidency, but I didn't expect any real change at all. I have always been a person who looks at the grassroots as the answer to any problem. If you can mobilize enough people you can make things happen. The problem is in reaching enough people to create any disturbance in the force. The Pope/religion/politics are all in place because people tend to have no self control and need an overseer. Troy, I guess it's admirable that you want the media to do their job, but that simply isn't going to happen. A popular musician was posting on Facebook the other day that he wished there were more music journalist. I responded that it would be nice if they were out there and that music journalist sold enough ad space to warrant real coverage, but the reality is that websites have to have clickbait to maintain interest and pull people from Facebook. Unless all music journalists spent time making top ten lists, just having more music journalists around wouldn't help with anything. I bring this up to say that it is the same for what you hope for the media. We could have better media outlets, but it won't matter if the people aren't watching and listening. We end up in the same place complaining about how crappy the news is and how shallow people are in their pursuit of seeing history and saying they were there. Which is basically what is going to happen with the MMM, Occupy and every other faux grassroots movement... the people attending simply want to say "I attended." They don't want to change anything. If they did, they would get active and change things.

OK. I followed the link and Voila! My goodness! That was 7 years ago. What a treat that thread was to read. Back in the good ol days. Yes, I was wrong about your early commitment to Obama and the skepticism of the rest of us. Altho I don't remember posting any of that, I must say that I was consistent because I continued to remain on the fence when it came to Obama while others changed later. You did fall under the sway of Cornel West and became disillusioned with Obama half way through his first term while his previous detractors came to his defense because it was so obvious that the Republicans were stifling him. I did and continue have mixed emotions about him - to this day. Give me an example of how the media spreads propaganda and encourages racial prejudice? Good journalism requires that the facts be reported. How this effects those who read the facts stems from their own shortcomings. If people are dumb they have only themselves to blame. The media is not a babysitter.. If you had your way, people would go through life, paranoid and suspicious about everything, never trusting their own ability to exercise good judgment about what the real deal is, never allowing themselves to enjoy something just for the sake of enjoyment. I really don't think anybody is fooled by Donald Trump or that the media takes him seriously. His supporters just don't care about his phoniness so they deserve what they get.

Sorry, that's not how I remember things being 8 years ago when it comes to Obama. There was no reason for you to chide posters about being self-hating negroes because everybody but you was enthusiastic about Obama's running, (Folks like Carey, A Woman, Mzuri, ABM, Ferocious Kitty, Yukio, Yvette, Li-Li, Linda, Crystal and maybe even Kola and Chris Hayden were pro-Obama) I was a little luke warm about the idea of him being a black "savior" and so were you. Your calling us self-hating negroes had more to do with hair and color issues, not a lack of support for Obama. Racial and religious prejudice didn't just crop up when the media became an invasive force. They've always been human foibles that people acquired from interacting with those different from themselves, and certainly you don't think that whether this campaign is to be taken seriously or not, that it should not be reported about. IT'S NEWS! And actually it could be taken seriously because it's a reflection of the discontent and disgust that are casting a pall over the country. Are you suggesting that this "Rejection-of-Insiders" phenomenon should just be ignored? What do YOU think the dreaded media should be focusing on? What generates traffic to computer sites? LOL And why are you quoting Robert Reich instead of Ta-nehisi Coates? tsk-tsk.

LOL. Humm. The Pope coming to America wasn't being touted as anything other than a good will visit. I don't think anybody seriously expected his visit to amount to more than a hill of beans. But what's so stupid about those who wanted to see him from a historical perspective? Witnessing history is not a shallow pursuit. And I can't believe that you are crushed because Obama being president hasn't made a difference. I don't EVER remember you being anything but cynical about Obama either as a candidate or as president. As for political polls, they are not devised to measure people's intellect and ignorance. They are a barometer of what trends are emerging, which can be intriguing to observe. The debates exposed the candidates not issues, and their rants appealed to those who related to what was being claimed even if it was untrue. The campaign has provided a platform for prejudices and prejudiced people are responding in full force. Nobody is denying that this presidential race is a farce and speaking of farces, when it comes to black people, everybody knows it, but nobody says it; as a race, we seem doomed to come in last place. Glad I'm old.

The media sponsors televised debates and airs interviews and reports what the polls show. But they don't put words in the mouths of the candidates, and the outrageous things candidates are saying are what generates public interest and influences public opinion, IMO. Those running for office acquire supporters by saying what certain groups of people want to hear. The worst and most dangerous thing about this is that lying has been elevated to a new level and those who are caught in lies just continue to repeat them, counting on the strategy that if you repeatedly tell a lie, it begins to register as true in the minds of the people who want to believe it. Fact-checkers are having a field day debunking some of the falsehoods, half-truths and misleading statements candidates are making but it doesn't have any effect. The mindset of the electorate is becoming increasingly receptive to the idea of rejecting political correctness and embracing outsiders who don't represent those currently doing such a bad job of running things. Come election time it is possible that once inside the voting booth, people will come to their senses and vote for someone who is reasonably qualified to be POTUS. The Pope's wide appeal is a form of the mass hysteria.that is very easy to induce in religious people looking for someone to idolize and renew their hopes He was, indeed, like a rock star who attracted millions of groupies. And, of course, his visit was a historic occasion and many just wanted to be able to tell their grandchildren that they saw this world famous figure. The current state of America is inevitable. The turmoil and clashing of ideals is how things have evolved because the very diverseness that made up the great melting pot has now become an alloy of divisiveness. America will be tested in the coming months. What happens after November 2016 will determine whether this nation will pass or fail, whether it can put aside all of its differences and come together as one country. I tend to think ol steady, moderate, political veteran Joe Biden might be the best hope for this. We shall see.