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in other words, there are a lot of "dumb niggas" out there. OK, if you say so. I tend to believe that black people recognize how the media manipulates black images, but since they identify with the caricatures, they opt for being entertained rather than being enlightened. I'm curious. Do you visit social media sites? You can learn a lot about the black mentality on them. You can also observe how bad blacks talk about the white media.

Cynique Yes, I really believe that many Black people DON'T have enough sense to know when someone is subliminally making fun of them and being psychologically racist....so it must be pointed out. They must be educated on it or they will continue to be taken advantage of. Some people don't like it when I say that most Black people either can not or will not achieve college degrees so we should focus more on skilled trades and small businesses. But I believe it's the truth either it sounds sweet to the ears or not. AfroAmericans are in a vulnerable condition in this nation and we can't afford to assume As far as the stereotypical roles of Black women..... A) Sure there are a lot of attractive Black women in Hollywood, but like I said they aren't usually paired WITH White women. Most White women have enough pride and sense not to let herself be portrayed as inferior by being paired next to a better looking Black woman. But many Black women see no shame in acting right next to a White woman who may be considered more attractive.....they feel no embarassment by it because so many have been taught to see themselves in the inferior role anyway. The difference between the stereotypical roles that White and most Latina women play and those Black women play is the "dumb blonde" and "Latina spit-fire" roles still grant the White and Latina woman her sense of womanhood and femininity. Those roles still make them look "cute" and lady like....where as the ghetto tramp and hoodrat roles so many of our sisters play takes away their femininity and makes them look like freakish "he/shes" who's very gender is questionable. Just like Hollywood has a history of raising questions about Black men's manhood, they tend to raise the same questions about the Black woman's womanhood. And again, many of our people....I believe...do not have enough psychoanalytical knowledge to pick up on this, so it MUST be pointed out.

@Pioneer1 Sometimes things elicit chuckles because they are just comical. The skit was not slapstick, or corny, it was a lampoon. Does race always have to be injected into everything? Pushing the envelop about controversial issues is SNL's specialty and they spare no ethnicity. As for Hollywood casting attractive white female movie stars against unattractive black ones, puleeze. With a few exceptions like Whoopi and Leslie and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), there are no unattractive black movie actresses.These women make it into the movies because their looks have appeal.Only in all-black movies do homely black character actresses appear. In this day and age, the average black person has figured out that black images are manipulated by a media that reeks with negative subliminal messages. But there are always people standing around pointing this out, underestimating the intelligence of other black people who have enough common sense to discern this for themselves. Recognizing the ulterior motives of white people is in the DNA of black people dating back to slavery when they rolled their eyes at their clueless white masters. But then as now, they lack the power to deter racism. Leslie has chosen to capitalize off her boisterous black woman character just like white women capitalize off the dumb blond stereotype, and Mexican women do the same with the fiery Hispanic drama queen. That's show biz. And life.

Cynique The Unted States has been divided for a long long time. The only difference today is thanks to Trump a lot of Black and Brown people are waking up to that reality. I'm glad Trump is saying what he's saying because for nearly 30 years Mexicans and Arabs have routinely voted against their own interests and supported the Republican party believing in their deceptive moral rhetoric. Now that the TRUTH is coming out about what Republicans really stand for and believe, Mexicans and Arabs are waking up cranky as hell. They're finally starting to feel that maybe Black people may have a point to all the "complaining" we do.

You all thought it was funny but I actually didn't find the skit funny in the least. I sort of took offense to it's demoralizing portrayl of urban Black women. The image Leslie seems to be an expert at potraying. Which is probably why she was hired by SNL in the first place. My little analysis of the skit was...... Here you got a White man who plays an "intelligent well spoken man" but has to pretend to talk like an uncouth ghetto Black woman (althought it's not actually called that)...just to keep his job. I was just waiting and waiting....because I knew it was coming....when Leslie's character was going to utter something racist just to give the audience the impression that urban Black people are not only rude and ghetto but racist against Whites...therefore justifying the racism that is practiced against them in REAL LIFE. And like clockwork-right at the end she has to mention his race and call him a "White so-n-so". Why did the writers feel the need to inject race into this skit which would have been just as "funny" without any racial remarks? And why did they choose...as SNL USUALLY DOES...to make the Black person the racist?? On top of the racial and cultural stereotypes, Leslie is portrayed as a verbally abusing boss who doesn't know how to speak to her employees, again.....which will subconciously justify the racist and unreasonable behavior of some White managers toward THEIR Black employees in REAL LIFE. People must understand that Leslie's behavior acts like a REVERSE catharsis, sort of like the original Birth of a Nation movie. Instead of giving racists an outlet for thier own racism by seeing it on television, it actually acts as a JUSTIFICATION by providing made up false scenarios that they can subconsciously point to and say, "Well look...they're rude, ghetto, and even racist themselves so I'm just given them a taste of their own medicine!". CD This has nothing to do with Leslie's skin color. There are women much darker than her....like Naomi Campbell and Lauryn Hill....who are very beautiful. 　 Also, I'm not the best looking brother in the world myself so I'm not beating up on Leslie because of the way she LOOKS. (although I must say that one of the tricks I've observed in the media is that many Whites love to contrast themselves with Black people in the way of taking an attractive White woman and featuring them in the same movie with an unattractive Black woman; or taking a wealthy intelligent White man and pair him with a broke ass idiotic Black man to give the audience an impression of White superiority) It's all about Leslies loud and manish behavior that makes her such a turn off. No, she's not the most attractive person....but she's not deformed or hideous either. If she'd just doll herself up and act like a lady both on and off camera, she wouldn't have so many problems. 　 　 Grace Jones ???? Come on brother....that woman is scary!

That skit was very funny and interestingly enough would have never been done just a few years ago as SNL didn't have any black women. Kennan actually had to hold his own personal boycott against wearing another dress in a skit which forced SNL to find Black actresses. I haven't weighed in on this very much. First I think Leslie doesn't look bad when she's made up. I also think her character or the roles she plays are entertaining. What I've always had a problem with is Black folks and their inability to allow Black actors/actresses to play the roles that are available to them while they wait for the characters that could be more thought provoking and challenging. It's very hard to get work as a Black performer and when a woman gets a chance to be in the not ready for primetime crew that has launched the careers of a number of Black entertainers then she should take it. I don't think she demeans or perpetuates anything. People are going to think what they want whether she plays these roles or she doesn't. Since this is about her looks, she is boisterous and loud. I think she can be attractive if she wants to be just like I always thought Whoopi Goldberg could be attractive and was in some instances. Then again, I was one of the few people who thought Grace Jones was stunning, just as much as I think Halle Berry is stunning. I have friends who wouldn't date dark skinned women at all. I think guys who focus on certain looks as beautiful are guys that have the ability to focus on certain looks. I never thought of myself as a catch so I was always more open to women who weren't stereotypically beautiful and I think this whole conversation has missed my voice. Although Troy did make the statement that beauty is only skin deep. I agree with him, but I guess I would add that it is really that way for guys who don't feel that they can "pull" a woman that looks like the "ideal" beauty.

@Troy "We"? What "we" are you talking about? Not me, or millions of other Americans who aren't trying to "elevate Trump to the presidency". I think it's more accurate to say that political correctness spawned Trump, and widened the gap between all the disgruntled right wing Conservatives and the progressive left wing Liberals in this country. The polls show Trump and Clinton are neck-and-neck, so there is no clear consensus. After watching the Democratic convention which was saturated with blacks and all the other special interest minorities in this country whose representatives were preaching to the choir when giving their speeches and therefore not making any outside converts, I don't think either candidate will win by a landslide, The election might very well be contested by whomever is declared the loser and all hell will break loose! The country is rife with resentment. The rank-and-file have gravitated toward both parties, depending on how much they relate to what individual party leaders are advocating. What they all have in common is that they don't trust the politicians who are running the country, and they want change. But change represents different things to the opposing factions, and that's the great dilemma facing the nation. The United States has degenerated into a divided state. This is the end result of a dream turning into a nightmare. America's differences have not brought its people together but have driven them apart apart. The country needs a make-over or it will gradually implode. Just like Rome. In this world, nothing involving humans stays the same forever. Shit happens..

No worries @Sheryl. I have no expectation of an immediate response, and conversations here can be resurrected even years later I hope your health continues to improve, and thanks for the kind words.