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Just dropped in to get a whiff of what's going on here since I made my last departure, an exit that deferred to my aversion for being around those I can't stomach. And what a good decision that was. OMG! I can only gasp at how the vibe here has become even more irritating. 🙄 'Felt like I had stumbled into a FOX "News" echo chamber, reeking with the gospel of right wing half truths, and rampant with hysterical conspiracy theories involving the ubiquitous "they". But - before I provide further material for possible rebukes from Mzuri in her self-appointed role as the Sergeant-at-Arms of this forum, ever ready to lecture those who don't conform to the protocols she has taken the liberty to put in place, - let me assure that i am aware no one really gives a damn what I think. (And I don't give a damn that nobody doesn't give a damn.) 😝 Now, as I was saying... mulling over what's going on here, i've reached the conclusion that this mind boggling phenomenon called CIVILIZATION, in its infinite journey, lurches forward doing what it has always done in an environment teeming with natural and manufactured marvels; visible and invisible dangers. And because it is the nature of the bi-ped beast evolution has spawned, humanity engages in an eternal conflict that pits the "have's" against the "have-not's", and the "already-are's" against the "wanna-be's", dumping them into a horde of "never will-be's", leaving everyone to expect freedom and justice for all. Foolish dreamers - idiots upon whom the abused Earth will eventually take its revenge. Welcome to the real world. Ah, but every poster here clings to their own version of the truth about the "real" world where the ongoing clash between the bad "them" and the good "us" wages on. And each opinionated contributor is eager to advance political narratives or embrace deep state conspiracy theories. As if a government controlled by an evil cabal has to plot something that Mankind naturally does on its own, as if what is happening now is not just another rehearsal for the highly anticipated Armageddon extravaganza, as if there was never a bubonic plague, no unrest nor revolts among the masses, no power hungry despots nor upheavals of the status quo. As if there has never been the fall of Great Empires, as if societies and cultures don't recycle and go through eras and periods wherein the more things change the more they become the same, all under the direction of a Universe with a wicked sense of humor! Ha-Ha.😄 The joke's on us as Fate mocks our hopes and Father Time yawns, bored by the repetition of the proverbial phoenix rising from its ashes. And Life goes on as Civilization survives. But all is not yet lost on this site, and in spite of it having become a haven for Democrat bashers, and a coop full of paranoid "Chicken Littles" beaned by acorns and panicked into thinking "the sky is falling, there is a calm voice of reason in this cyber wilderness, a someone exhibiting logic, and balance. Thank "goodness" for my boy, Troy, who neutralizes the histrionics and relegates others to wallow in the factoids of their misinformation. Happy New Year, ol buddy. Hang in there. And, oh yeah. Fuck Retrumpican obstructionists!

Black people are finished in that "other" groups will make it unbearable to work and live there. Before the new mayor, this was a huge issue and now its going to get worse.

************************************************************************************ @nels I have had some time to reflect on your original question, What does it mean to Be Black as opposed to Identify as Black? And to keep my answer as simple as possible, I believe that Being Black is a condition And Identifying as Black is a choice. ************************************************************************************

@Cynique, happy new year. I'm glad you popped in to check on the gallery.🤗 @Troy definitely tries to maintain levity around here. As always, I give him props for giving us this space to grumble, complain, theorize, pontificate, etc.🙂 This forum is like a barbershop or salon or any other place folks show up to talk about current events, politics, religion, sports, etc. Differing views and opinions can lead to interesting dialog. Sometimes, it can be constructive and/or educational. Regardless, there's nothing new under the sun. Shooting the breeze on a forum defnitely won't change the arc of the universe. 😎

Yes, it's unfortunate that such a large swath of black America is still glued to Al Sharpton & Co. at the hip.

************************************************************************************ @Cynique I'm just a regular participant, unlike you, a moderator that deletes people's comments. Are you still getting your fake news from CNN? If so, you are a rarity since they have lost much of their viewership lately. CNN'S RATINGS ARE IN THE TOILET Poor old crusty Dummycrat still suffering from a severe case of Trump derangement syndrome. Perhaps you should try drinking some Constant Comment for that, I heard it soothes the troubled mind. You might try sweetening that cup of tea with a little bit of honey, since your sour personality seems in desperate need of something ambrosial. BTW, I'm glad you posted, now I can stop worrying whether your battle-ax behind has succumbed. ************************************************************************************

@nels, no whining from this AfroAmerican man who has done very well for himself. However, that will never preclude me from giving my opinions. I'm entitled to do so under the Victim Guaranteeed Qualification (VGQ) as codified by the honorable Neely Fuller Jr. 😁😎

And yes, that's why people are entitled to their own opinions, but they are not entitled to make up their own set of facts. In my view, Paula will always be biracial. I see a lot of whining in this fragment. A smart person would stop complaining about what they perceive as racial inequities and instead, do something to improve their potential success. As I've said and implied many times before, black America needs to stop blaming the rest of the world because they themselves were born black.

Facts. Being white is their pre-existing condition and the privileges that come with it. Whites do not have to navigate the obstacles of race as it relates to their progress and success in life. Whites do not have to meet the same qualifications and standards they impose on non-whites when it comes to opportunities. White supremacy provides a power that allows whites to focus on everything else because their skin color is never a liability. Being white is an asset. 😎

Remember, white folks don't occupy themselves with being white, but they do spend a lot of time staying white. I do not fault them for not having any control over who they are; instead, the issue is how they behave, which may be directly applicable to how the rest of us behave, as well.

As a side note, having personally lived with (real) pure sub-Saharan black Africans before, they view the somewhat absconded term "African American" as pure nonsense. IMO, that's one of the problems of identity-driven societies. Paula Patton is biracial, any way you cut it; she's neither black or white - she's a combination thereof. Very good point. Being black, white, etc. goes well beyond and much deeper than the physical characteristics that anyone possesses.

IMO, voting should be a right reserved for citizens. The US already has enough issues in that regard. I would not show up in another country and feel that I should be able to vote as a non-citizen or permanent resident. 😎

To identify as Black is to identify with the culture. this is the same as “being” Black. The racial terms black and white are nonsense as there is no genetic basis for them. This is obvious as so called white people pass for black and so called black people pass for white all the the time.

Sovereign nations are sovereign for a reason. No one should be allowed to come to our country, usurp our right to vote, and then screw it up like the ones they left. Only political novices, lunatics and The Left support this idiocy.

Allowing illegal aliens, non-citizens and permanent residents to vote is a very bad idea.