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Why oppressed people oppress people. Or Who wants to be a dick tater. Its a great expostion however it stikk comes down to judging what's right or wrong . That being said i am more comfortable with everyone deciding what works for them.

The last i head, this is supposed to be a free country. And black people above all, are constantly striving to exercise their freedom. Because blacks are not all of one mind, some blacks have a problem when it comes to freedom of appearance. They are luke warm about diversity and want to dictate, judge, and criticize the choices of certain other blacks who resist the herd mentality of black brain washing that can be as restraining as white control. These Afro-centric vigilants, awash in their patented rhetoric, have taken on the role of deciding how black women, in particular, are obligated to look, and they are perfectly comfortable with imposing their standards, totally resistant to change because they are mired in the swamp of the past. They drone on and on about how deceived those are who don't accept their standards, mistaking the indifference of those they wish to reform, attributing it to ignorance, thinking they have to educate them about the hazards of European standards. It never occurs to them that what they are preaching is a stagnant gospel, and the are obviously unable to appreciate the idea that individuals are free to exercise a choice when it comes to how they want to present themselves to the wide world of reality. The same crowd frets about colorism which is, indeed, an unforgiving fact of life and, as such, subjects some people to unfair and insensitive rejection. This being the case, it is then nobody's damn business if some choose to get their color out of a jar, an innocuous procedure that is in a category with plastic surgery, liposuction, contact lenses, wigs, teeth braces, eyebrow-arching, acryllic nails, and gym work-outs. Ahh but the au naturelle nazis remain a constant voice of condemnation and when not disapproving of independent black women, they devote their time to harboring suspicions about ongoing secret conspiracies existing to do - what? Keep blacks down? Whoooo what a great revelation! Enough to make blacks sacrifice what little enjoyment they derive from life in order to concentrate on worrying about something they are not supposed to be aware of. Them. Discrimination is also a fact of life. Obese people, for instance, are discriminated against, so losing weight is a choice some make. Racial discrimination is something that is a constant challenge, one that involves ingenuity to circumvent. This cruel world does not adjust to the individual. The individual is charged with the task of adjusting to it, of carving his own path and going which ever way she wants. For black people this can call for tuning out the "Greek chorus" chanting the same ol message of revering Africa, the great land mass which doesn't give a damn about its American diaspora, and can hardly sustain it own people, prompting many to immigrate to this country and enjoy the fruits of the civil rights struggle they played no part in. Of course these are controversial concepts that will go in one ear and out the other of those who don't think outside the box. Those who'd much rather stay in a comfort zone free of critical thinking and just go along with the same ol litany of cliches that black have been mouthing for years in an effort to bolster their morale, huddled in the night of yesterday, reluctant to wake up to a new dawn where a person weighs his options and thinks for herself. This mind-set is not really revolutionary. Great numbers of blacks have already made the decision to do their own thing not even aware of how they have liberated themselves from the dictates of others, all the while supporting the common cause of racial injustice. And so it goes.

@Pioneer1 , Troy was pretty specific about saying that he wasn't referring to F-buddies. This question was about finding and building a relationship with a ( life) partner. Have you been able to find a life partner? What has been your experience with a viable relationship with a woman. Have you ever been engaged, left at the altar - married? divorced? And by the way, how is it even possible to measure someone's sex drive?

This whole post is so awesome! It is time for a new dawn! It's time to weigh options and think individually and rethink about some old cliches' because they may not fit today! I am not kicking against old views either, but in the past, we have not been given the proper tools to understand everything so now, we need to be refreshed! @Delano This is a hard truth, at times. I once heard it this way; When the poor oppress the poor, it is like the sweeping rain.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Anyone paying attention to detail may have noticed I don't use our president's name. However the psychopath may actually do us some good. Reuters reported yesterday: "White House probes Google after Trump accuses it of bias." The man actually has a point -- seriously. I noticed this several years ago as Google out ranked negative information about Zane and Terry Mcmillan over their accomplishments. While I'm trying to learn more about their work as writers Google is shoving all the negative stuff they can find about these sisters in my face -- information I'd argue should be private. At any rate, 45's motivation is entirely selfish and I doubt anything constructive will come out of this, but if President Trump can reduce this gatekeeper's power, I say 4 more years 😮

First,Christainity. Is. A. Slave. Religion.Christianity. Was. Beaten. ,Into,Our. Slave Ancestors. On. Slave,Plantations..Christianity. Is. ,White-Supremacy. Religion..BLack-Christians. Are. In. Poverty,Except,The,Serpent Demon,Stealing Preachers.White -Christains Most Live Good.Murdering,Enslaving People,Stealing In The Name Of ,Christainity..Racist White Politicians,Are Christians.White Christians Not Caring About Black,Christians...Christianity Have ,Black People Spiritually Enslaved....

I attended the Mississippi Book Festival this past Saturday. It was held in Jackson, MS. Like most cities in the deep south it is a series of profound contradictions. You'll find both moving testaments to civil rights and blatant signs of racism and its legacy. The book fair had a terrific line up of authors: I got so see Charles Frazier, Rick Bragg, and Jon Meacham just to name a few. There were quite a few Black authors of note as well including Jabari Asim, Janet Dewart Bell, Don Tate, Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, Quvenzhané Wallis, and many more. The organizers of the festival commissioned the creation of a street marker dedicated to Ward's work as a writer. In accepting the honor she gave a very moving speech. Still, other than the authors, there were few Black attendees -- probably more black authors than Black attendees. This is remarkable considering the fact that Jackson Mississippi is virtually 80% Black! The most surreal moment was listening to a conversation between Jon Meacham and Karl Rove. They began talking about the Klan and it was then that I noticed virtually everyone in the room -- several hundred people -- were white, many elderly. I began to wonder how many of these people had attended a lynching, fought against segregation, or just believe people with brown skin as inferiors -- surely some have had to (or still do)... it was just a strange feeling.

AND THAT IS EXACTLY HOW HE GOT THERE! All these big whiny babies think he "feels their pain"... This is so on point, THANK YOU @Cynique

@Troy Join Tiger Woods and Jim Brown who both just said Trump was being unfairly treated by the media who doesn't respect the office of president, and pounces on his every word, constantly criticizing him. BooHoo. I've predicted that 45 will pick up more and more support because everybody has a gripe and he will eventually get around to bitching about one that matches up with one shared by someone who doesn't like him. Multiply this by a thousand and the numbers will groooooow. i give up. Let the chips fall where they may.

You can find some information on book deals in Publishers Lunch. It is a subscription based publication that would be a good source, but someone would need to dig through the reports. I do have some real data that would be supportive of my anecdotal evidence that the number and size of book deals are smaller. The graph below is the number of books published by the "Big 5" and a large independent (Kensington) over the past 10 years. Since virtually all of the books in my dabasse were written by Black writers and I have captured all of the most popular books, my data is an excellent sample. As you can see this data reflects a steep reduction in the number of deals over the past decade.. While this data set does not speak specifically to the size of advances. I do know authors who refused deals because the advance was too small. If you don't find my data coupled with my anecdotal evidence convincing -- you are just being stubborn. Admittedly the reasons there are fewer Black authors being published by the large presses are more complex that just being offered a smaller deals. Virginia Deberry and Donna Grant wrote an article about this a few years ago: "Our writing career is officially on HOLD." They have not published a new book since. Of course my finer point, speaking to the lack of books dealing middle aged Black men is part of this. @Mel Hopkins, you glossed over my questions (cutting me deep with the 45 dig 😉), but I believe the will help you understand the role gatekeepers in determining and indeed growing popularity . Again Whose platforms does this popularity exist? Whose algorithms determine which content rises to the top? Popularity does not happens as organically as you seem to believe. 45's ascendance should help you appreciate this.

Yes, @Mel Hopkins I was speaking about a life partner (of course this is a subject I'm more interested in lately). The questions you posed for @Pioneer1 are good ones. For the sake of clarity, I'm talking about a life partner that you are also making love to. I think both men and women have varying levels of sex drives over time. @Pioneer1 you should also consider the fact that our culture demonizes women who express a strong sexual desire and place an opposite pressure on men -- if you have not banged at least 10 women before you got out of high school and knocked a few up -- you must be a fag 😉 Pioneer, could it be possible that our male dominated culture as manipulated you into believing something about human sexuality that is not supported in our biology?

I love science fiction so I'm always ready to read a decent science fiction novel written by a Black person. I will be frequenting this section for interesting reads. " Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier" sounds like a good read, but this should be common sense, especially when it comes to Black people. I don't understand the behavior. Of all people, Black people seem more addicted to Facebook than anyone else. Then complain about the level of activity on Black social networks. Like, hello, maybe it's because you are all on Facebook! LMAO! Speaking of science fiction, the behavior here would be a great script. I'm sure the author could have a lot of fun with that concept. It would probably be more like sci fi comedy. More comedy... did anyone know that Facebook has been caught red-handed using the data they collect on their site, to not only discriminate against Black people on their website, but also discriminate with housing. It's like Black people purposely sign up to an FBI website to be further discriminated against! I don't have the words to describe whatever is going on. But the irony is that's where you find tons of information that is supposed to empower Black people. LOL The contradiction is too much! I wish someone could explain the behavior to me. Just about any Black website I attend is like a ghost site. Even though Black Planet is a white owned site, I sure miss those days when that was the spot. Sentimental I suppose. Has anyone read from a Black sci fi author who writes about an alien invasion? I would love to experience an alien invasion from a Black author's point of view.

Absolutely you can be self-aware and know if you're being controlled - In fact that is the definition of self-awareness! ... It starts by being honest with yourself - which means you have to go all the way back to your beginning, your earliest memory. The beauty is your dreams have these answers but you must be diligent when recording and then interpreting those dreams. I don't mean consulting dream books either - but looking at your earliest memories; how your caregiver (sometimes parents) impacted you with their practices and so on... Then you look at your world and what drives you to do what you've done. It is then you can tell where you're being controlled by your environment - and what you're deciding to do to remain in the community. It requires a whole lot of honesty but it's doable to find out what is true for you and what is simply your programming.

Yes, this i believe though, in that 'false Christianity Have Black People Spiritually Enslaved...' False Christianity, the Anti-Christ idol, and the false movement has corrupted this world. But the original Jews were just as Black African or dark skinned with African traits as it has been thouroughly written in the srcriptures. We've just been tricked and now, many have become the very mouthpiece to throw down the whole entire movement behind White Supremacist. We are now doing their work. Whether you believe in Jesus, the Christ or not, the original Moors and Pirathons, and Huns were Negroes and the Romans conflicted against the Black presence. Who did the Romans fight against? themselves? No. They were against the Black African presence in and around North Africa and that same movement is why we have endured American slavery and etc.

I'm reading Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now by Jaron Lanier -- which I'm sure does not surprise anyone here 🙂 I just finished reading, Raisins in Milk by David Covin and interesting story based upon his family. I also in the middle of Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo” by Zora Neale Hurston, which is out online book club pick.

...mic drop! Hey @Cynique why didn't you just say that in the first place 🙂 This are the articles that deserve a big platform IMHO. I'm clipping this one now.

I prefer Cyniques response to anything Rock might say on pretty much any topic--especially women 😉

Interesting that my response elicited a question from Troy. Mel and Cynique laughed and responded. Troy why ask a man what women want. A women needs three things food water and compliments. Chris Rock

Amen @Cynique, you continue to fire on all cylinders! I'm single - and will remain that way unless I meet the man of my dreams. Life is too short but can be extremely long to settle for just any ole man. I know you asked @Delano but since I'm a woman I can say, I don't believe it's difficult to find a life partner. It's difficult to settle. We spend so much time as daughters, sisters, that we don't have a clue as to who we are as a woman. Second, we rush into a relationships because we meet the father of our children. Sometimes a father isn't necessarily a husband or lover. Sad part is sometimes we don't even know that until we've had our babies and then we realize - ugh...who is this guy? Or our lover is no one we want to have as father to our children. Some women are super lucky or super disciplined to be with the father of their children who is also their lover too! And their lover is disciplined enough to be a husband and father. And it's not a matter of women don't know what we want. We absolutely know who want but then there's timing. Right time, wrong man; wrong time, right man; wrong man, wrong time and then jackpot - right time; right man.

@Pioneer1Oh, come on. The above statement is so blatantly ridiculous. All black churches have rejected the image of a semetic jesus being portrayed as blond and blue-eyed and with this came a dismissal of all the other anglo-sized biblical characters. Church sisters are more likely to be in love with Jesus or their pastor than trying to look like white angels. And how can white conservatives high jack a religion that they "invented"? Just another one of your concocted ideas that has sprouted in your skewed imagination, and certainly one that deserves to be challenged. (Here's your lunch, Chevdove, LOL )

@Chevdove definitely, not fine hair but not even Afro-type hair...it just wouldn't behave. Some folks are offended when we say "bad" hair - but there's such a thing. He finally shaved it all off. It's funny that you mentioned, blue eyes. My baby girl had blue eyes and sandy brown hair for her first year. - Her hair turned jet black and her eyes are honey-colored now. (Lighter in the summer). My mom said I also had blue eyes for my first year - I think blue eyes is an african trait...http://afritorial.com/black-people-with-blue-eyes/ but here's the daily mail with their version lol @Cynique Thank you! You know how I feel about your perspective! It has helped me a great deal! Thank you! BTW, I'm looking forward to more of your metaphysical experiences too!

The Clark Sisters are a great group -- or at lest they were. I have not listened to them in a very long time, but I have purchased a couple of their albums. and enjoy their old stuff. I could not tolerate much of the video, because it is Wendy Williams, not Michelle Obama. Wendy she has made a career of saying crazy things. Did this go viral on social media? Did wendy williams actually fall out?! She does not look very well.

@Pioneer1 black people in these areas have been carefully taught not to leave their "area". I learned this first hand when I left New York and moved to Wheeling, WV - Wheeling is not even on the mason-dixon line but there are unwritten rules to know your place. In fact, Wheeling, WV never even had slavery but the black people there knew they weren't allowed in certain areas... When I moved there - one of my first jobs was in an area where the city's founders had herded all the black people. Small section of the town on a hill that was almost 70 percent black -the rest of the black people were sprinkled around town - but those folks never left the area and most lived in the town's only housing project. So you can imagine how fascinating I was to them because I lived in a big house on a main thoroughfare where no other black people had ever lived. My closest black neighbor was state senator and his wife...they had left the area and returned so they no longer had that mindset. Anyway, when I would go to work some of the children would wonder how it was to go to those events where "white" people went ... I would ask - "You mean to tell me you've never gone to blah blah" and they'd say, "no ma'am" - as if it was some unwritten rule that they were not allowed out the area - and they never went. It's generations after generation of being subjected to institutional racism - and the parents don't know any better so they pass down the warnings to their children...