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@Del Egads, man, have you lost your mind? Those statements were enough to elicit a comment from me. You'll probably change your opinion about me after you read this response but - so be it. "The sun will come up tomorrow." Pioneer is one of the reasons i stopped posting because i found his stance on most things so insufferable, i needed to remove myself from an atmosphere of "familiarity breeding contempt", a situation reminding me that "if you can't say anything good, it's best to not say anything at all". My time here was up because my having difficulty in finding anything good to say about anything, made me a liability. Taking a break was not a hard decision. i had stayed too long at the party. And Troy and Mel do a very good job of keeping things real. Who needs my contrarian input? it should come as no surprise then that i totally disagree with everything your said about Pioneer. i consider him the most egotistical, person on this board. Every conclusion he comes to has its origin in the ego that fuels how he perceives the world. All he needs is one experience to carve his opinion into the stone of an obstinacy that fosters whatever he decides about things in general and black people in particular, to be adamantly true because he considers himself to the ultimate authority. Facts, figures, studies be damned in his cherry-pickin' the tree of information. Forget Mel's and Troy's and Kalexander's rebuttals that refute his BS. When he's not preaching his gospel, he states the obvious because he is not an original thinker and yes, from time to time, he assumes a phony air of humbleness, often prefacing his remarks with the phrase "I may not be the smartest person in the world, but - ", an introduction that is subsequently proven accurate as he lays out his lengthy "dissertations" that are saturated with shallow subjectivity. "Self-assessed himself" ? Puleeze. He is incapable of regarding himself as anything other than right about the subjects he zeroes in on. Kalexander is at least, able to discern and admit his shortcomings."Funny"? He's ridiculous. Because Pioneer couldn't wrap his brain around "Childish Gambino" 's spoof, he decided something was wrong with Gambino instead of considering that he, himself, is a one-dimensional clod who can't see past his nose. His attitude about black women, is full of inaccuracies and notions that date back to 50 years ago, and are example of how out of touch he is in this era, dictating to us who our role models should be and what our motivations are, and who is and who isn't "black", as if a mentally-promiscuous, polygamy advocate like himself, the anti-thesis of what a role model for black males should be, has any room to criticize sistas. As i've previously stated, Pioneer is an example of a certain type i've come across down through the years, - individuals who simply make my gut recoil. That's an inexplicable fact of my life; not an opinion. I'm well aware that my observations on this subject don't really matter, and i would've refrained from expressing them if you hadn't brought my name up in a paragraph where you felt a need to sing an off-key version of Pioneer's praises. And speaking of opinions, Del, i haven't changed mine in regard to your using Pioneer as a vehicle to deride Troy. (Just for the record, however, you don't make my gut recoil! You just make my eyebrow rise. ) Unfortunately, I think your admission that you don't believe in "facts" or "objectivity" pretty much undermines everything you have said. it would seem you are just blowin smoke. And this includes your mention of having encounters with a broad cross section of people What creeps between the lines is that beneath all the layers of your facade of being cool and detached, is a sensitive, easily offended person, - a someone who finds it necessary to say that he is impervious and psychic - because it is not obvious that this is the case. And i'm sorry that this further unsolicited criticism will seal my doom with you when i express my disagreement with your prediction that Donald Trump will be removed from office. IMO, no amount of credible evidence will be enough for him to be ousted. He is becoming entrenched, gradually gaining converts because the average white American can identify with his bad character and disregard for authority and the truth. Plus, the nation is not prepared for the upheaval his being forced out of office will precipitate. But i will, indeed, be glad to be wrong on this subject! And it won't be the first time i've been wrong, something i'm sure you'll agree with. C'est la Vie. Back to my retreat. My work here is done. Carry on.

@Del I never questioned Kalexander's claims as a writer. I was skeptical about him having a degree in journalism. But i repeat, his assessment of pioneer's hogwash was actually on point to me, possibly because we were on the same wave length. You did a 360 degree turn on pioneer who you used to clash with because he'd needle you about your convoluted sentences and psychic predictions. Then you had this great epiphany and decided to canonize him and proclaim him the saint of Every Man, the anti-dote for Troy's academic intellect. Folks have changes of heart, although when Kalexander first came on this board, i remarked that i liked him OK because he could take criticism and was refreshingly kooky.

My position was clearly stated but, as usual, people overlooked everything i said and saw what they wanted to see and decided i took a break from posting here solely because of pioneer. Del should've let sleeping dogs lie, instead of bringing my name into the conversation. That was a remarkably accurate statement in regard to pioneer's rant, Kalexander. You were on point this time! Why of all the guys on this board, would a dufus like pioneer be my choice for anything other than rejection? (He'd regularly bring up the subject of my 72 year old boy toy and would mistakenly take my responses to this as a sign that it was me initiating the subject because i had eyes for him, - probably something for him to think about during his sessions with his blow up doll ) It also amazes me how transparent the reason is for Del's reaction to you, being so different from his reaction to Pioneer. It's like he imagines that adopting pioneer makes him look more magnanimous and compassionate, as he tries to fit a square peg into a round hole by totally mis-characterizing Pioneer as humble - and wise(?) I'm disappointed in how he has stooped to such bathos. ) Whatever. But at least he admitted that he was not objective or concerned with facts. Gotta go. i don't want to get stuck back in this viscous mire of vicious opinions. I will simply co-sign to whatever Troy says, for the simple reason that he comes closest to my way of thinking.

UH OH, the antiquated imposture, unable to accept rejection, is attempting another psychological flirt, only with a bit more zest this time; will probably find little changed: "When someone shows you who they are they are, believe them the first time" - Maya Angelou. You've always had at least one worm who loves you! Maybe not Cynique though! Why can't you correct me yourself, do you always call on a woman to fight your battles?

What!? @Delano Pioneer just rejected your assertion to his being humble, and you rest your case? You also made another statement that you couldn't back up; I call you on it, and you call it "bait." Bait for what Del? Why are you so paranoid? You only feel like someone is trying to trap you because you must have done something you are afraid of getting caught it. I think if you reflect on your reactions to things you'll better understand you own motivations, for you seem to be motivated more from what is inside you than what has actually happened (what I described earlier as your "gut" reaction.) Again I was not trying to trap you. I was simply trying to understand where you were coming from by making it crystal clear that I saw no justification for what you wrote and inquired where you came up with the idea.

It's OK, Pioneer. Del luvs you.

Del I am truly touched by your kind words. As Troy said, I would call myself HONEST but I wouldn't call myself too humble. I have an ego and I do like to show off from time to time, but only on those things about myself that are TRUE and that I KNOW I can back up. Truth and honesty are part of my moral code, but humility is not necessarily. Although it does have it's place in the presence of legendary people. What you may see as humility (and what Cynique claims is "phony"....lol ) could rather be considered more of a defense mechanism that I've developed over the years as a person who has been active in community organizations to deal with so many people with far more education and academic creditials. I learned that I get along with people far better when I respect their position and acknowledge mine. But if I'm at all humbled, it's from being around intellectually powerhouses like you and Troy. BTW...... If you'll remember, I TOLD you months ago that if I weren't around Cynique would start picking on you or Mel. You're seeing evidence of this now. People Lol........ How can we miss someone who has never left? Cynique only CLAIMED she was going away to get a reaction. What she REALLY did was run up "underground" so that she could monitor MY comments and how others would continue to react to me in her "abscence" of constant criticism. She tried to keep it cool as long as she could but like she said....when Del had something nice ot say about me she couldn't control herself. That little turtle HAD to crawl up out of her hole and start cussing and snapping at everyone in sight......lol. Rest assured, if I REALLY thought my presence would cause Cynique to actually LEAVE....I would save you all the headache and drama and say my good byes. As I've said before, she ain't going nowhere.....but to the store to get some more snacks to much one while monitoring this site, lol. The woman is obsessed! The only thing that would cause HER to leave if if I left; because Pioneer's got her ass on LOCK !

Me too. Del you see my statement as condescension and now arrogant to boot. This is tantamount to just call me names. At the risk of coming across as condescending, a strong argument would be much more effective at getting your point across. The thoughts that drove you to write this statement is purely a figment of your imagination Del. Can you describe why you wrote this?

As she drops the mic... The is why the forum will always be know as Cynique's Corner, for this is her house! Cynique, what you wrote will not change Del's mind about you. He is bigger than that... it is easy to brilliant and charismatic people in high regard. Thanks for setting the record straight. I'm sorry that the "gay white mason" caused your hiatus -- that is really saying something because even the Queen Kola Boof did not cause you to retreat and she could be vicious. Del I think the only reason you find what I say "condescending" is because you disagree with me, but can't argue on the merits. It takes all types of people to keep a forum going. It is easier when there are more voices. I believe this will change in our favor as the big social sites piss more people off and people begin to migrate back to indie platforms. Even the software that run this forum is rapidly improving, so I believe this will improve over time. I think the participation of women in these forums is a key missing component, but I'm not aware of a forum where men and women engage in an ongoing basis to note best practices. Lipstick Alley the standard setter for forums is primarily female. This forum used to have a great balance between the genders, which is what made it great, in my opinion. I could always come here and read something that would make me laugh out loud, that still happens but not as frequently. @Cynique's opening line, "...Egads, man, have you lost your mind?" made me laugh out loud I'm even chuckjling to myself as I write this. It is one of those jokes made funnier because people have a history. From Harry Brown to Richard Murray and from Del to Mel you all bring this thing to life. But occasionally someone like Cynique will come along and bring a brilliance that is rare gift. Welcome to Cynique's Corner.