ProfD

Losing a soul is a really a metaphor and a reminder to maintain one's humanity as a physical being. Andrew Carnegie who was once the richest man on the planet profoundly understood the importance of redistributing wealth mainly because he grew up poor. He knew the ramifications of hopelessness and despair. Interestingly, while there are poor people all over the world, America has the highest crime and murder rates of any other country.

Labeling criminal or crazy or infirmed seems to be in the tool breaking handbook. I'm not impressed by social status, fame and celebrity. My inner comedian finds source material and hilarity in how people will prostitute themselves for pocket change. Reminds me of 1) what profit a man to gain the world and lose his soul and 2) a rich man has the chance of getting into heaven as a camel does passing through the eye of a needle. Forgive the resident agnostic for paraphrasing here.

Not even the racist *founding fathers* didn't design the system to work as it currently does. Private industry has been operating in the same manner since the industrial revolution. The game has been modified to look different. I don't see it pretending. The gov't is blatantly allowing capitalists to call the shots. Besides, it's *their* interests the gov't uses to print money and everything else it does. Instead of underpaying or overpaying American workers and/or forcing them to work in unsafe conditions, companies outsourced the work to other countries with relaxed labor laws. Companies are providing American workers with the bare minimum required to maintain their legitimacy in the USA. American people have to open their eyes to realize the game that's being played. Technically, nobody in America should be poor. Not in the beacon on the hill. The most developed country on the planet. The system in its current incarnation is doing a masterful job in keeping people dazed and confused.

A very small number of well-adjusted AfroAmerican children will grow up and head to the hood to traffic in foolishness. Arts and entertainment has always been used to articulate pain and suffering or glorify fantasy. Prior generations of Black folks believed the devil's music and movies would be detrimental to our well-being. Black music and movies aren't destroying society any more or less than content produced by white folks. Non-Black folks are the biggest consumers of Black music. Their communities aren't adversely affected by it. Black music and movies aren't the *problem* in our communities. It's the lack of codification and leadership and pride and unity among Black folks. We should be able to enjoy music and movies in the same way as the dominant society. White folks aren't coming against John Wick movies or Country music talking about drinking and driving fast and f8cking. Sistas need a better selection of strong Black men with whom to build and breed. Give that Black man a better selection of Black women with whom to build and breed. We know the *problems*. Just a matter of solving. Of course, it begins and ends with codification.

Fair enough. But, former POTUS Orange Julius (POJ) doesn't get a pass because AfroAmericans know exactly what he's implying in that statement. Then, POJ has enough sycophant n8gglets around trying to justify and legitimize his BS to Black folks. F8ck POJ and those shoes and that Tang kool-aid he's peddling.

We should always be leery of entertainers and celebrities especially those who tear down the community and/or do nothing positive to build it. This could be an attempt on her part to resurrect that 15 minutes of fame. I just find *her* situation as another example of tool breaking even if it's indirectly.

Black folks talk a good game when it comes to criminal justice reform. However, Black folks on the inside of the judiciary and law enforcement systems aren't helping our people. Black folks will lock up and send their own people to prison faster than white folks do. Tethers (non-FBA/ADOS) are the worst offenders especially when it comes to punishing AfroAmericans. The problem is huge.

We may be around the same age but I've always been an old man trapped in a younger body.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/where-is-wendy-williams-documentary-dementia-diagnosis-producers-interview-1235836418/ Former TV talk show host Wendy Williams is having health issues and life challenges The same woman who made a living gossiping started to crash and burn after her husband flipped the script and took on a younger boo thang. Before her marriage failed, I thought Wendy was in decline when she had surgeries and showed up on her talk show looking like a walking Pez dispenser: Wendy isn't the 1st person and won't be the last to fall. But, it should be a cautionary reminder that karma and Father Time are undefeated.

Right. It would not make sense for the Democrats to show their hand especially if it's strong. Either way, you can rest assured that will not happen in your lifetime or mine. It's been on that brink for 8 years and counting. I'd have my popcorn ready especially if the civil war goes as the late Dick Gregory described it in his wisdom.

Right. Regardless of the -ism, there will be permanent victims. Also, there will be those who find a way to thrive and survive as bootlicks, shills and other forms of suck ups.

The 1st thing that comes to my mind is that if this guy and others can speculate/know about it, Democrats surely know about it as well. Yet, Democrats don't appear to be alarmed and they're silent about it. Maybe they are complicit in letting it go down. 2020 was a test run. Of course, since I believe both parties are two sides of the same coin, I would not be surprised one way or another. The system of racism white supremacy remains the same.

The real question is why are AfroAmerican voters always being singled out when it's POTUS election season. We don't see and hear politicians pandering to any other group of people. There is no Asian or Latino Rock the Vote the campaign. POTUS candidates aren't holding rallies in Chinatown or showing up to baseball and soccer games begging for minority votes. Sure enough, you'll see POTUS candidates in Black churches or some other AfroAmerican event for photo-ops. Those candidates will show up with a bottle of hot sauce pretending they know how to eat fried chicken, greens, potato salad and chitlins. It will be someone like the aforementioned bootlick or Rep. Jim Clyburn the sharecropper who will be the town crier and head usher escorting candidates around.

OK. Now, we're getting to the heart of the matter and source of your irritation. That Black elder snitch definitely should have minded their own g8tdamn bizness. The migrant crisis is really a political football. Right-wing nuts are worried about somebody else invading *their* country and taking jobs they don't want. Left-wing lunatics plan to use this new population of immigrants as a future voter block. Rich people are silently using migrants to make more money. Black folk have much bigger concerns to address. Unfortunately, non-white folks appear to be the most passive creatures on the planet. Most Black folks do not have the same level of barbarism as white folks. White folks are willing to kill or be killed in order to build and maintain their way of life. Black folks can build successful communities anywhere if/when they are willing to kill and die for it. War is one area of codification. Got to have an army of soldiers willing to put in work.

Mardi Gras was started by the French. ADOS folks in New Orleans do participate in it.

Here in DC, we still teach babies how to play Spades.

No. AfroAmericans who identify as FBA/ADOS. Maybe that more directly answers the poll question again.

She looks like Foxy Brown to my old eyes.

Clearly, you overlooked the word rhetorical in my post above. Maybe you haven't read my posts well enough to know that I believe the system of racism white supremacy has made white folks enemies to Black folks here in America and all over the planet for a very long time. On more than one occasion I've addressed the issue of your opposition to and how you expect others to respond to your narratives and questions based on your firmly entrenched biases and points of view. Again, I'll mention that on a discussion forum folks are free to provide their thoughts, views and opinions on a given topic. As evidenced by your own selective use of research and statistics, there's a reasonable amount of latitude in how one chooses to respond to a topic. Never assume what someone else does or does not know solely based on their responses to topics and questions in a discussion forum. A topic of discussion isn't always static or binary. There's room for tangential discourse. It can make the subject more enlightening and entertaining. My brotha, you may want to lighten up in your expectations and/or confirmation bias when it comes to discussions.

The NYPD did not force Black folks to sell drugs to their own people. The mafia consisting of white immigrants who had little or nothing when they processed through Ellis Island built their wealth in major cities throughout America. The mafia had *rules* and a code of conduct for how they managed their operations. One of the codes was they wouldn't sell drugs to their own people. The rhetorical question becomes what kept Black people from getting in on the action when it comes to building wealth. To build anything anywhere requires codification and cooperation among the group of people in order to be successful.

One of the reason I *know* I'm a dinosaur man is because in my opinion online dating looks lazy and lame. While online dating would never be a consideration or option for a guy like me but I do wish that I had invented it. If folks live a lifestyle that is too busy to meet other people in the wild then they don't really have time to date either. I recognize that for certain groups of people and personality types, online dating provides them with access to a pool containing their preferences. The *problem* with a profile is that it cannot capture mutual attraction and chemistry. People give off vibes in passing or on a dance floor or in a meeting place that cannot be populated into a computer. I've met women while I'm out and about; in certain settings and places where they would not have caught my attention otherwise. As a relatively tech savvy person, I know the internet and AI will alter the landscape of how human beings conduct business and interact with each other. Again, I'm just glad to be old skool in everything I do. I'd give up my smartphone if it wasn't for conducting business. Hopefully, I won't be around long enough that I have to adapt and/or be affected by this new-fangled sh8t.

Doubling down on dumb, the former POTUS son (Don Jr.) has come out with an equally ridiculous claim that African-American men hail him as their hero.

I voted no. AfroAmericans do not have a Mardi Gras/Carnaval that unites us. I think it's cool that Caribbean folks and other Black people have cultural ties that include annual parties and celebrations. For AfroAmericans, maybe Juneteenth will become a bigger celebration over time.

@richardmurray, I was referring to the American political system (Democrats and Republicans) as two sides of the same coin.

The edited video doesn't help the former POTUS nor does it hide his racism. He said Black folks spend $19 on t-shirts bearing his likeness and millions have sold. The man is a clown and a comedian rolled into one.