Leaderboard

@Pioneer1 I hear what you're saying, but I beg to differ slightly with your feelings of uselessness when a woman doesn't "need" you, in effect. Even the strongest of women are vulnerable in some manner, just like the most muscular and macho of men can be vulnerable. What you're really saying is that you need to be made to feel "strong" by the woman being weak. With all due respect, for the sake of discussion, that is not a sign of masculine strength. That's kind of a cop out. It's like when brothers say, "Let me be the man." If the man has to ask, then he's exposing that he isn't one. I think men need to feel needed. I get that. But sometimes, what we want is a partner. Ride or die. Not a savior. But I think there's something in the genetic make-up that makes men want to rescue women. A man can "rescue" a woman by being thoughtful - yes, FLOWERS; cooking a meal, massaging her feet. There are so many ways to provide support to a "strong" woman. Asking how her day was and actually listening. Some men are just too insecure to think outside the box. This is no diatribe against you... but to raise the discussion, because you are so thought-provoking....

AALBC.com is continuing to expand. We are just a few months away from providing book printing services. I'm excited about this because this is one of the final pieces needed to becoming a full service publisher. The other great thing is that I'm working with an established Black owned printer who is producing a quality products at competitive prices. I'm setting up the website now (which is slowing up the AALBC.com upgrade, but it is worth the effort). I also plan on publishing great books that agents can't find publishers for, I'm about a year away from this, but there's some great potential here that I can't wait to begin working on.

@Pioneer1 Well, you might be interested in my novel. There's freedom of original speech; not copying it and hiding it. That's what I had to learn the hard way when I sued a filmmaker for copyright infringement. And lost. But I was Black. I got my day in court (made it to trial, but jury wasn't allowed to decide). I should have asked for more than my day in court, I guess. Anyway, I would have had to spend 40 years going after all the people who have stolen from me. As a lawyer who once worked for the Justice Department, believing I was on the right side, you can imagine my disappointment to learn that there are no good sides in this country when it comes to Black people. So, I write my issues out in my novel. And encourage intelligent writers to do the same. I'm glad I found this site. I'm really digging what Troy is doing here. What a quiet warrior he is. Respect.

When I was younger I wanted to be a lawyer because I loved debating (and arguing) with people over issues. But as I got older and really studied history, I began to realize the hypocrisy that exists in so much of the legal system. On one hand you have the U.S. Constitution....which is supposed to protect and ensure our freedoms of speech, assembly, and expression. But on the other hand you have federal, state, and local laws that basically TAKE AWAY that freedom and tell you what you are and aren't allowed to say or print. Then again, I suppose if I were a writer or designer I would be mad enough to kill someone who took my creative work without my knowing and got rich off of it. So perhaps these laws were designed to establish a sort of "justice" and prevent bloodshed. But I'm a sort of "literalist" in that we shouldn't claim to have FREEDOM of speech and expression and at the same time have actual laws that punish those who exercise it even if they do it by lying and plagerizing.

I have to admit that I don't particularly find strong women attractive. Whether she is physically strong or just has a strong personality. This is not the case each and every time because every now and then I find a woman who is very athletic or has a strong personality that I'm attracted to, but for the most part I have a desire for a woman to NEED me for something. I don't care how attractive a woman is physically, if she's strong and can defend herself or doesn't have a desire to call on me for emotional support from time to time (not ALL the time) it lowers my level or attraction for her. On the other hand, women that I didn't find particularly attractive, when something happened in their life and I saw them crying or acting a little vulnerable....it made me attracted to them and it built up a desire for me to rush to their aid or give them a shoulder to cry on. I know a few other men who feel similarly. Women need to understand that not all men are looking for "strong" women.

I'm still months away from pricing, but I'm thinking the pricing would be a function of budget and goals of the individual clients. Lets talk. I'll follow up after the holiday.

Bottom line: A strong woman doesn't have to be muscular, loud and aggressive. She can be supple, subtle and reserved. Strength can come from within, like the proverbial "steel fist in a velvet glove".

CD I didn't say there was anything "wrong" with women being strong. But seeing as how physical strength is primarily a MASCULINE trait among humans, it only makes sense that it wouldn't be a desirable trait for most women to have. It's what women look for in men, but not necessarily what men look for in women. Most men who are looking for "strong women" are looking for someone to take care of them... LOL. But I'm not going to qualify or disqualify it from a moral point of view. It's no more "wrong" for a woman to be masculine than it is for someone to be lazy, obese, or stupid..... These are generally undesirable characteristics that often put people at odds with their social surroundings, but I'm not the one to say whether or not they are "wrong". As far as Black women being oversexed. I don't think Black women are actually promoted ENOUGH sexually, especially in a positive light. And there ARE positive and negative sexualities. White women's bodies are show far more often than Black women. Almost every movie has them getting naked showing their breasts, butt, and even pubic hair. Their sexuality is promoted far more than Black women. But it's usually done in a posivite light that promotes and glorifies them, while Black women are often portrayed in slutty prostitutish ways that make them look vulgar and desparate or like trifling gold diggers.