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Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/09/2016 in all areas

  1. “Is every white child born out of wedlock "cannon fodder for future" suburban violence?” Could be. Is there data to support the contention that the overwhelming percentage of crime in white suburbs is the result of white illegitimacy? But what evidence do you have to support the notion that violence in suburban zip codes is the direct result of whites born out of wedlock? “The highest incidence of out of wedlock babies are born to black fathers and white mothers, over 90%.” Oh really? And exactly how does this impact the staggering crime and violence in black America? First, the number of children born between BM and WM (married or not) is fractional. Second, if you exam the racial background of both perpetrators and victims of black crime -you would see the overwhelming number have two black parents! “ Are any of the kids in the news being murdered by cop have light-skin and/or curly hair?” Doesn’t appear that way. AND WHY WOULD IT? As I stated before, the overwhelming number of “perpetrators” and “victims” of black fratricide are individuals who have two black parents –not one white and one black! And what supporting research or evidence do you have that cops consciously avoid conflict or shootings of mixed kids with “light-skin and/or curly hair”???? “If not, what does that tell YOU?” Oh! That’s easy. It tells me the vast majority of individuals committing the crimes and their victims have two black parents! It’s not rocket science ya know. E’nuff said….. “Most drug users, percentage-wise as well as numerically, are white suburbanites.” How would someone collect such accurate data since most people who use drugs are never caught nor arrested? However, I will concede white Americans probably have ( more than black Americans) used more kinds of illegal drugs, including cocaine, marijuana and LSD. Just look at the current epidemic use of heroin in white communities. Yet blacks are far more likely to go to prison for drug offenses. And there are various reasons for this that are not race related. I will also concede that our current drug laws are stupid, counterproductive and have created the greatest incarceration rates in the history of what is called the civilized world. “Alcoholism as well as drug addiction are societal problems, i.e., American, not "just" Black American.” Uhhhhh…..I don’t recall saying that it was. Where did I state alcoholism and drug addiction was restricted to “only black people”? “Don't get me wrong, Xeon. I am a strong proponent of personal responsibility AND self-restraint.” Ok….. However, most societal problems blamed on black people, if you do the research, you'll find in the white community, as well.”“ Your statement is true. Whites experience many of the social ills that blacks do. However, there is a caveat. The difference is this: White communities are not under the siege of toxic gangs, senseless street violence and staggering homicides as Negro communities. Don’t think so? Do your own research. Look up the top ten cities with the highest rates for crimes and homicides. What racial group is suffering the most casualties? And give me the name of one predominately white city that has crime rates equal (or exceeds) to the drug related or wanton murders and crime in Oakland, Baltimore, St Louis, Camden, Chicago, Milwaukee or Detroit. Again, yes, whites suffer from crime and drug abuse. But their communities do not resemble Syria or Iraq as Negro communities! Big difference….
  2. "Miles Davis was a brilliant musician with a interpersonal issues. I Don't confuse the artist with the art" Good point. Neither do I. The two are separate things. While I do not condone men who physically abuse women, I have no problems separating their genius from their behavior. Frank Lloyd Wright was a brilliant and innovative architect but his personal behavior was atrocious. Anyone who knows anything about the brilliant artist Diego Rivera knows that he was a notorious womanizer that tormented the soul of Freda Kahlo. Ike Turner was a very creative and original artist but his abuse of Tina Turner is legendary. A man who starts out in life in his twenties, believing he can physically beat on men as he does women and one day collect social security and medicare is surely mistaken. That is why they pick on women because the life expectancy of beating men is a short one. But women and children are easy prey for their obnoxious and cowardly behavior. Miles had a long standing history of abusing women. But there is a caveat that is rarely discussed. The women who indulged and had relationships with Miles knew of his explosive temperament. It was no secret! Yet they decided to do so. There is something to be said about women who choose to be with abusive men..... And here is a somewhat irrelevant sidebar: Years ago -I met a woman at an art exhibit who looked exactly like Miles! She had the same complexion, facial structure, eyes and facial features. It was stunning! I told her so and she just laughed. She said she knew this and in fact -when she was very young, she lived in the same residence as he did in NYC. She told me he was very kind to her, often inviting her over for dinner that he cooked. She also said she used to tell people she was his sister. Trust me -you would have believed her! And yes, she also told me she knew of his abusive reputation with women. But she personally never experienced any of it. Miles’s music was in constant flux! His music was constantly evolving and changing whether one agreed with it or not. His musical transitions were very apparent if you compare his various groups from the “early to later 50's”, his “late 50's (1959 was the year of his quintessential masterpiece -"Kind of Blue") to early 60's”, the “middle and late sixties group” (love that period included Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams) and a revolving door of super star musicians ( Jack DeJohnette, Keith Jarrett, Chic Corea, John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Benny Maupin, et al) in the late 60’s. The transition from acoustic playing to electronic began with "Miles in the Sky", “Fillies de Kilimanjaro” , “In a Silent Way” and then the masterpiece that changed the course of what we know as modern jazz in 1970 -"Bitches Brew". It took me a few years to reach “Bitches Brew” but when it clicked -it was on! I remember that entire experience very vividly. After digesting "Bitches Brew", I slid into an insatiable addiction to hard core improvised “free jazz” (Ornette Coleman, Albert Ayler, Anthony Braxton, Andrew Hill, AEC, Cecil Taylor, John Coltrane’s Impulse recordings, Archie Shepp, Marion Brown, et al...). Took a couple of years to balance my one sided indulgence to include traditional music (e.g. Bill Evans, Dexter Gordon, John Coltrane's Prestige and Atlantic recordings, Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington, Booker Ervin, et al). And the irony is that I started out with straight ahead traditional music ! Then I slid into an uncompromising consumption of hard cord improvised music. Met a friend from Pittsburgh (I learned a lot from him about music) who helped me balance my fixation to include both traditional music and the hard core stuff. I’ll never forget that! Ha! Anyhoo, enough of that... Miles’s music continued to change and it became purely electronic and almost chaotic (“Live Evil”, “Big Fun”, “On the Corner” and “Get Up with It”) at the beginning of the 1970’s. Then Miles took a hiatus from playing until he came out of retirement in 1981 and recorded, “The Man with the Horn” . After that, his music descended into irrefutable rank commercialism. That's when the unrelenting criticism reached its apex. Miles was reaching a wider and younger audience with his electronic-rock-funk-pop performances while alienating those who grew up and embellished his superbly crafted traditional compositions and acoustical playing. But regardless, Miles was undaunted and could care less what anyone thought of the direction he was headed in. His perpetual choice of musical transmutations and playing had nothing to do with “selling out” for monetary gain or fame. He had no personal interest in either. Miles was doing exactly what he wanted to do and was constantly searching for new musical realms. When asked about the standards and classics he used to play, he recoiled and said he had no interest in playing that genre again. He said, "When I listen to it now, it sounds like I'm playing under water...". Ha! Miles ahead...!!!!!!
  3. As somebody just dropping in, I personally find all this extrapolation of figures boring, especially since it's common knowledge that statistics can be manipulated to represent a desired result. I'm curious about the name of Sara's white-anointed book gathering dust on library shelves all over the globe, the publication she keeps crowing about in between touting her friendship with oodles of black female authors. Watta resume! And I can just picture a self-help book about a subject on which she is a foremost authority, its title emblazoned across the cover. DUPLICITY FOR DUMMIES ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

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