KENNETH

7 hours ago, Troy said:

The notion that "vaccines are dangerous" is ludicrous.  

 

This idea is the raving of people who are no knowledge of the devastation that the diseases vaccines protect us from have caused.  Life expectancies despite pollution, processed foods, and more sedentary modern lifestyles are dramatically higher -- largely due to vaccines.

 

Of course life expectancy have actually been dropping largely because almost 900,000 people have died unnecessarily, because of Covid.  Surely we all know someone who has died from Covid during the pandemic, why is believe the vaccines are a form of population control makes no sense to me.

 

Wouldn't it be much easier to reduce the population -- especially the Black population -- by doing nothing?

 

On another note: I do believe Pharma will push additional boosters for variations of Covid.  But their incentive is purely financial, which is a flaw in how we provide healthcare -- not a diabolical plan of the Illuminati

Thans for saying this Troy. Black people cannot afford to downplay COVID19 or be anti-vaccine. We will die in huge numbers especially those of us with hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. We need to put the Tuskegee Experiment perspective. We can't let that turn us against doctors, healthcare, or government. 

Thanks to You Tube and C SPAN I have been able to hear Professor Dyson speak on numerous occasions. I have read articles by him as well. I'm not sure what's going on with him. I think he was more articulate and insightful in the past than he sounds lately. 

1 hour ago, Troy said:

True, but surely something can be done about it.  The political process is not total useless … is it?

 

a lot of young people want to leave America, so disenfranchised, they feel other countries provide better opportunities. It is sad for people have legitimate reasons to feel this way… 

It is sad that so many young people are giving up. I'm not sure what if anything can be done to reach them.

5 hours ago, ProfD said:

The good news is that I do not live in a tyrannical police state. 

 

The bad news is that n8gglets are killing folks with no regard for human life and committing other crimes. 

 

Road rage or looking at someone the wrong way should not end up in death. 

  

Respect for life and accountability across the board is totally necessary.

 

Black folks need to demand both that n8gglets and police see fellow human beings and not a paper target at the gun range.

 

Real life isn't a video game. Folks don't jump back up when they get shot, stabbed, choked out or beat up. 

We must cooperate with police and stop calling it " snitching. " We need to realize that people who kill and rob along with drug kingpins need to be locked up. More importantly some of us deserve to be put to death for murder. That's not racist or class oppression. It's just a fact. This doesn't mean systemic racism or predator capitalism are not problems that we must address. However there has to be a balance between holding both individuals and society accountable. 

When it comes to racist cops especially those who unjustly kill blacks. The more of them who are prosecuted, convicted, and given long prison sentences will make things better. This might be more important than improved training or defunding. Prison time for bad cops sends a clear message of accountability, and no police officer wants to be put in jail.

1 hour ago, Pioneer1 said:

ProfD

 

 

Facts. As I mentioned in another thread, where I grew up,, the police looked like us. The only time we feared the police is when we were in the wrong.

 

Same as when and where I grew up.

I grew up in a mostly Black city where most of the police officers, as well as the Chief of police was (and still is) Black.

The cop situation in the neighborhood I grew up in was more like the Smitty-Hoppy characters on Sanford and Son...lol.

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth

 

You're right in what you said.
Black people shouldn't be forced into a catch-22.

The solution to this dilema is to POLICE OURSELVES so we won't be limited in our choices.

 

It's like a person who is forced to either pay three times the price for edible food....or get rotten poisonous foods for a cheaper more affordable price.

If they'd grow and process THEIR OWN food for themselves, then they'd be completely delivered from that dilema all together.Most of our problems as a community come from being too dependant on Caucasians in the first place.

 Thanks so much, 

I see where you're headed with this, and more self-reliance can be a good thing. However. we can't be totally separated from white people and live in the US. It's not possible and most blacks don't want that. We want to preserve our culture, institutions, and neighborhoods. Yet we want opportunities in the mainstream like jobs, business opportunities, and a voice in democratic government. 

I'm interested in what you mean by policing ourselves ? How would it be legal and not subject to corruption. I don't want to replace racism with tyranny in " blackface" either.

17 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

LaMont & All

I'm addressing this not only to you but to the rest of the posters because as so often is the case, people come on here to rant and rave on ONE post as a guest...then disappear to be heard from no more.
Time out for wasting time and energy on people who don't even bother sticking around to read the responses they get.

I'm not sure when the police killings will "end" because not all of the killings are unjustified.
However the majority of them clearly are.
They'll slow down when AfroAmericans stop being so lazy and start taking more responsibility for protecting our own communities ourselves instead of sitting around on the porch smoking weed day and night and bullshitting while expecting White folks to come in and do it.

If we don't like how Caucasians are keeping "law and order" in the hood.....and I certainly don't....then we need to get off our ass and do it OURSELVES.
Take an example from the Nation of Islam where the men are trained to protect their meetings, temples, and families.

 

 

 

 

Troy

Man is that YOU with the AR aimed and the 9mm laid to the side with the clip emptied looking like Nino Brown?????

You can get a brutha out of Harlem....but you can't get the Harlem out the brutha...lol

Nobody I have ever met is saying that police are racists for killing armed thugs or drug dealers in a shoot out. But these high profile police killings of blacks don't involve violent criminals threatening officers or anyone else. More importantly policies like stop and frisk along with routine verbal abuse and brutality are a constant problem with blacks and police. We just want police to do their jobs and not be racist. The same thing is true about prosecutors and courts. It's not too much to expect.  

The political right, mass media, and a lot of black people want us to make the false choice between policing and racial justice. They want us take whatever racist cops dish out in the name of public safety, but if we complain about abuse police disengage allowing violent criminals to menace the neighborhood. This is blackmail plain and simple. And when certain black people break the law, they realize the situation. Black people shouldn't be in a Catch 22 situation. I know people don't like me saying this because I'm like a broken record playing a song nobody really liked anyway - SELF HELP AND SELF CRITICISM ARE FINE EVEN NECESSARY BUT THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR STRUGGLE

We must keep up the pressure and not give up. Whatever it takes to correct the situation. Let's talk about economic inequality in addition to crime prevention. We don't have to wait for the Federal Government or states. In many cities we have the political power to act. We must push so called " leaders " to act and deliver or replace them. There are too many politicians and activists who don't get anything good done especially for the poorest working -class blacks in urban areas. They're good for their cronies, big corporate interests, and developers. But they don't serve the masses.

Nothing new or unexpected in the Rittenhouse verdict. White people have always dealt violently with black people especially when they merely perceive a challenge to white power. And any white person who stands with black people is fair game too. The simple fact is white people are tired and angry at peaceful black protest not just rioting or looting. For many of them a violent extralegal backlash is appropriate. History just keeps repeating itself. 

On 11/27/2021 at 2:46 AM, Stefan said:

The election of retired NYPD Lt. Eric Adams proved one sold thing:

The Progressives who fronted the failed "Defund the Police" slogan were completely off the mark. Because that is not what they really meant.

What they actually wanted was a shift in police funding priorities to include a social service counseling component.

But as in many social protest cases, the loudest and the most disagreeable of the loudmouths won out.

In actually, most people in this country want and need good police. Blacks just don't want racist or brutal police and I believe many Latinos feel the same way.

Our political side is just horrible at messaging and that Defund the Police slogan cost the Democrats handily. 

This is a good point that is being lost on many leftists protesting against racism and right wingers talking about law and order. Black people don't want to defund the police because they think police won't be available when needed. Any discussion of social spending needs to be separate from police reform.

8 hours ago, Troy said:

 

Abso-feaking-lutely.  

 

You don't even have to leave Detroit to see Black people who, phenotypically, are all over the map. They are still so called Black people.

 

This become even more confusing and scientifically unfounded when you introduce the notion of "race" into the picture. There is one human race.

 

It is best to talk about humans in terms of culture or ethnicity, these matter much more than what people look like.

 

 

I think you're absolutely right about talking in terms of ethnicity and culture rather than race. This would help us challenge ideas and values that underlie systemic racism. But none of this is easy. People don't want to learn or think on a deep level. They want to hold onto familiar and longstanding beliefs about themselves and others that are wrong. People want goods and benefits for their own group not others. Capitalism while not all bad does fuel conflict among peoples which gets worse when race becomes an issue.  

Joy Reid was wrong. And yes more attention should be paid to missing black and Latina women too. None of this has to be mutually exclusive. There's a right way and a wrong way to raise legitimate issues. More pressure needs to be applied to mainstream media outlets regarding this issue. At the same time we need a stronger independent black media for news and talk. Furthermore there needs to be more advocacy on behalf of black women. Sometimes our focus on racial and economic injustice is focused on black males. This is our fault as much as white people's.

I have not seen the online version yet. Is it still black owned ? If so what do we know about the publisher ?

On 9/4/2021 at 7:35 PM, Pioneer1 said:

Just like there is a difference between REPUBLICAN and CONSERVATIVE.....there is a difference between DEMOCRAT and PRORESSIVE.

While the Republican Party is a right-wing party that can rightly be called a Conservative Party because most of it's politicians are Conservatives.....the same can't be said of the Democrats.

Most Democrat politicians are moderate and many are actually Conservative.  Less than 25% are truly Progressive.

Another problem is there is no set solid Progressive Agenda.

I consider myself an AfroAmerican Progressive and many of my values are differnt than most Caucasians who call themselves Progressive also.  We find ourselves disagreeing quite often on which issues we should focus on.
 

Thanks for this...it's a needed clarification

I think your comments are very insightful and correct up to a certain point in history. However I wouldn't overstate the liberal or progressive nature of the current Democratic Party when it comes to social equality or economic fairness. While there is a vocal left in the party concerned about these things the Democrats are dominated by moderate centrists who are " Republican lite " on  economic issues. When it comes to social issues they often pay lip service to race, gender, and LGBTQ rights. Much of the progress on social issues like LGBTQ issues has been made at the local levels with the exception of same sex marriage and the Supreme Court. When it comes to gender Democrats have done little to counter the assault on Reproductive Freedom. The same is true about race especially voting rights. 

On 8/2/2021 at 6:08 PM, Pioneer1 said:

Kenneth

 

I'm gonna give you the solution to solve over 90% of the problems you're listing.

Intelligent and decent Black folks MUST separate themselves from the fools, thugs, and ratchets and build our own separate communities around this nation.

That way we can march towards progress and do a grand RESET for our people.  It's the stupid and immoral in our community who are the biggest threat at this point.

 

 

 

 

Cynique

 

and America is not our country. It was not created for us nor does it return our "love". We just live here.

 

After 400 years of deeply rooted history in this land, I would say America is MORE our country than anyone elses besides the Native Americans.

Certainly AfroAmericans have more of a claim to America than Trump and his German grand parents.

 

Just because we have less power in this nation, doesn't mean it's not ours.  Even a young CHILD has a home whether she has power in it or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Troy

 

 

 "They" could have used the MMR vaccine which far more people, including kids

 

According to some they're already using it to increase the rates of Autism in Black boys.

And that's not conspiracy THEORY....according to Dr.Wesly Muhammad that is conspiracy FACT.
 

 

 

In 20 years Trump, Mitch McConnell and the old school racist will be out of office and almost certainly be dead.  

 

And a new generation of racists while rise up to take their place...just like the Reagan generation before them and the Nixon generation before them.

Although I seriously doubt that they'll have anywhere near as much power then as they do now on this planet.
 

Thanks Pioneer for your response....

I don't think black people or anyone else can afford to divide ourselves into good versus bad people. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of us hurting ourselves and others. There are consequences for that one way or another that people have to pay. However we can't write everybody off. Think about it - someone as great as Malcolm X who was a criminal and served time in prison. But his life was changed by the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad and working in The Nation of Islam. To me our problems and struggles are not a zero sum gain. We have do lots of things to better ourselves and this country. 

Thanks for posting this. It made me sad and angry for those black children to see face that abuse. But the whites who did it were just misguided children emulating their racist parents. We need to think differently about racism and history. Too often we only focus on the South. Slavery, Jim Crow, and Civil Rights protests. This creates a false image that distorts the narrative. The events in this film took place in New York City a decade after the Civil Rights Era.  

It's not easy to challenge racism or work for positive social change. Most of us are just trying to live and work regular lives. Being an activist or running for elected office is an impossible task for most people. Maybe black people are no different from anyone else in this regard. At the same time when you look at the black community blaming all the problems solely on racism or economic injustice doesn't make sense. Black people mess up like anyone else. We succeed or fail based on individualism as much as fighting against racism. There are things we must do as people beyond struggle. These things are moral and spiritual. Other issues can be addressed by black community groups and businesses. However this country has been and remains systemically racist. Furthermore working people live and labor in an unjust economy that mainly benefits wealthy elites and corporations. These things undermine black people regardless of other problems. Self help is no substitute for protest or politics.  

Drugs, gun violence, fatherlessness, academic underachievement, and the decline of marriage undermine black life and community. All of these things are tied together, and they make it harder for us to access opportunity when it is available. Black people have always been deprived of rights and material benefits relative to whites in this society, but we didn't live like this. Crime despite racial stereotypes racist law enforcement didn't plague our neighborhoods. Two parent and strong extended family relationships provided love, discipline, and shelter amid poverty and crippling discrimination. We had each other if we had nothing else. Doing well in school and advancing to college was something everyone took pride in. Our schools were inadequate, but we made the most of things. The irony is not lost on black people that when so many things seemed to get better because of the Civil Rights Movement and a decline in blatant racism black community life declined. We lost the family. We started killing each other over drugs and turf. Oftentimes the violence doesn't have a reason. Too many of us don't succeed in school and it's not the education system - it's us. Contrary to widespread belief among whites blacks spend a lot of time talking about these problems rather than racism. There's nothing wrong with self criticism. Furthermore, we need to all be better people as parents, husbands, wives, lovers, students, and neighbors. Everything is not about racism or capitalist oppression. At the same time community self help and entrepreneurship are important too. 

Black people have always done things to help themselves and start businesses. We have banded together despite have meager resources to solve problems and meet needs. While our efforts in this regard may not be covered by the mainstream press, black groups and civil society are doing everything possible to tackle problems faced by urban communities. The same thing is happening with black business. There are more black owned companies than ever. Black athletes and entertainers are not just playing sports, singing, or rapping. They are starting all kinds of companies and engaging in lots of business ventures. While most black businesses are small and have few full time employees others are large million and even billion dollar enterprises. We need to keep doing more self help and entrepreneurship on a bigger and more sophisticated level. No matter how bad things are they would be worse if black people themselves had not assumed individual and collective responsibility. Black people past or present have never waited on the government to help us. We need call out white people and certain blacks who say otherwise.  

Self help and economic development are no substitute for protest or political engagement. We need to be in the streets and on social media fighting racism and economic injustice. We must demand changes that advance freedom and equality. From the nineteenth century abolitionist movement, to Civil Rights protests, the Black Power Revolution, and now the Black Lives Matter struggle against racist policing nothing has never changed for our good or this country's unless black people fought. Racism and discrimination never went away. They became more subtle and are persistent. Black people are not impoverished, underemployed, less wealthy, and underpaid compared to similar whites because of choices we make. Systemic racism is the problem. This impacts black politics. We must hold elected officials including blacks accountable for getting results. Also Black policy wonks and experts who research solutions to problems are more important than ever. Black activists and elected officials need to make sure these people are included at the highest levels of policy making. We need to stop listening to right leaning white people and blacks who say we have no right to demand anything from society or the democratic process. These blacks say "begging the white man" is undignified and useless. For them the solutions are self made. They emphasize cultural pride and awareness especially Black Nationalists focused on the African past. Others talk about restoring the two parent patriarchal family and starting businesses. Black conservatives claim government programs and protest politics have ruined black families, community life, and moral fiber. The call for moral rehabilitation and making our way in society built on less government. Whether it's Black Nationalist or Conservative both approaches discourage activist struggle and political engagement. If we follow their lead we will lose the gains we've made. 

Our progress and wellbeing depend on self help along with protest and political engagement. We're not perfect people and neither is this country. When it comes to solving problems the choice is not either or. It is both. Right now there are people who want blacks to stop pushing. They are determined to hold on to what they have. Some are racist others are driven by greed and a lust for power. Black people have experienced so many political defeats and policy failures. For many self help works. It is something black people can control without whites. For other blacks making the best of things means being a better person and playing by existing rules. To them changing society is not possible or desirable. However history has shown no matter how good or accommodating black people are racism and economic inequality will deprive us of life, liberty, and happiness until we take a stand. No matter what happens blacks are better off because of politics and activist struggle rather than doing nothing at all.