ProfD

@Troy, whether it is art or entertainment or food, the junk usually makes more money. I go back to the McDonalds analogy. Junk food filled with high fructose corn syrup, fats and salt far outsells that which is more nutritous. Art or culturally important entertainment is no different in that regard. Whether it's movies, TV, music, books, etc., the junk food equivalent will outsell the higher quality content. Folks producing culturally important entertainment are analogous to traditional Jazz musicians. The struggle to make money is real. Still, there's room for both low and high quality art and entertainment. Owning outlets for production and distribution insuring control is important. Ultimately, we still have a choice in the art or entertainment we choose to consume.

That's inconsistent with current voting rights legislation in the senate. There's a reason Stacey Abrams has to crisscross the state of Georgia insuring that AfroAmericans have access to the ballot box. The state of Texas wasted no time after the last election introducing legislation making it harder for minorities to vote. Race based obstacles are the reason for voting rights legislation.

The entertainment industry dictates everything from Hattie McDaniel in "Gone with the Wind" to blackploitation films, 1970s sitcoms, gangster rap, black reality shows, etc. AfroAmericans have to own studios, distribution companies, movie theaters, TV channels, radio stations, etc., in order to control the art they produce and narrative. As long as AfroAmericans are signing contracts and taking out loans to produce art, they're at the mercy of the money folks.

Here in the United States, race is still a factor in legislation (Voting Rights and Anti-Asian Hate Crime), drug sentencing guidelines, immigration, housing, education, economic opportunities, etc.

IMO, films and other artistic works should not be censored from view or hearing. Art paints a picture and provides a record of the environment and conditions that influence it. Beyond entertainment, we should use the best and worst of art to educate as well.

It would also be bad for business when it comes to law enforcement and the judicial system.

No pontification or distorted image here. I know a whole lot of AfroAmericans who are living well in, out and around the hood too. Still, I'm not blind to the ills that plague AfroAmerican communities nor the obstacles imposed by white supremacy. There's no reason for AfroAmericans to believe we've arrived and/or accept the status quo.

I don't believe rolling America back to the 1950s will lead to advancement for AfroAmericans. Getting rid of Mitch would be good but replacing him with a younger version of himself isn't progress either.

As I may have mentioned before, it's not about living my life. I'm not selfish. From where I sit, I'm better than good. I'm that n8gga who has done very well for himself in making it out of the hood. Still, I'm aware of the challenges my fellow AfroAmericans face from conditions imposed by the system of white supremacy.

Crime in major cities fuels the economy. The laws regarding incarceration and bail have probably been relaxed to insure more crime. If law enforcement was really interested in stop crime especially reducing the murder rate, they could easily round up the culprits most likely responsible to commit them.

AfroAmericans cannot escape or destroy the system of white supremacy (racism) until they know what it is and how it works. AfroAmericans have to learn how to live by a code of personal responsibility and accountability in all areas of human activity. AfroAmericans should minimize the amount of time spent doing non-constructive things. Our interactions should be constructive; identifying and solving problems. AfroAmericans should be focused on replacing white supremacy with a system of justice which is defined as a balance between all people. In the absence of AfroAmerican leadership from the top down starting with family and extended into the community, replacing the system of white supremacy appears to be an insurmountable hurdle. As a result, ignorance, confusion, fear and frustration lead to destructive habits and behaviors. No doubt...AfroAmericans have a lot of work to do in pulling themselves up. The real question is from where cometh help. The sky fairy isn't working.

@nels and @Stefan, I wrote that white supremacy controls the entire planet based on the fact that post WWII, the axis of world power was the United States, Great Britain and Soviet Union. However, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, for 30 years and counting, the United States has been recognized as the sole superpower in the world. The United States still recognizes the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Canada as primary allies in maintaining its power over the planet. All of those countries have one thing in common.

@Cynique, I find humor in the cat fights, debates and feuds too. The board is not the same without your presence. Hope hibernation doesn't last too long.

You're 100% correct. The prison industrial complex has also become a mental health institution. Mentally ill folks are free to roam certain communities until they commit a crime. Then, they're locked up and released back into the community once time is served. Rinse and repeat. I saw this coming down the pike back in the 1990s.

An opinion with a modicum of humor is what I try to bring to the topics on this forum. NFL football is my guilty pleasure on TV.

Adding insult to the fact that minorities right to vote has to be renewed like a driver's license, senate minority leader Mitch McConnell said Blacks vote just as much as Americans.

Duly noted. Interesting definitions in your links.

Racism isn't about thinking of racial superiority and/or hating another race of people. Racism is having the power to subjugate other races of people. Africa is a predominantly black continent but they do not control their natural resources or infrastructure. Black folks cannot be racist because they do not have the desire or power or a system in place to do so. The system of white supremacy is the true definition of racism as evidenced by the fact that it controls the whole planet.

Removing statues and other symbols will not change the hearts and minds of people to whom the preservation of white supremacy is most beneficial. Attention should be paid to the fact that in addition to removing that which can be seen as symbols of white supremacy, they're also whitewashing history books too.

Republicans want America to be more like it was before the 1960s...a utopia of white supremacy. Democrats believe people should have freedom of choice within the confines of white supremacy. Again, both political parties are two sides of the same coin. Their main goal is the maintenance of white supremacy. Neither party gives a d8mn about pawns, er, people of color and poor folks. In economics it's called loss leader.

There is a reason Jews who were not born during the holocaust will never forget about it. Every AfroAmerican should know the history of slavery and how racism still exists. By design, that knowledge is being white-washed.

@Cynique, as you may already know, I'm a huge fan of NFL football. So, I'm posted up in front of the TV whenever a pro football game is being played. I'll be that way until the 2nd week of February 2022. I think the Packers and Chiefs will end up in the Super Bowl. To be modified if either team loses in playoffs.

Black folks would have to be organized as a group to move collectively in all areas of human activity with protective mechanisms in place too. Unfortunately, we've been fractured and diluted in that regard. White supremacy wasn't built by an individual nor is it controlled by a single entity. It's a whole system and well oiled machine.

Marcus Garvey was absolutely correct in his ideology that AfroAmericans begging whites for social equality was pointless. Instead, AfroAmericans should have been building a strong race, industrially, commercially, educationally and politically, etc. and allowing everything social to come afterwards. People are more inclined to listen and do business with those who bring something to the table more than crumbs i.e. grievances. Well, 100 years later, after integration and civil rights movement, AfroAmericans are still begging for social equality and do not have an infrastructure in place to make us a force to be reckoned with neither here in America nor globally.

Fighting for America's sovereignty is a complicated issue especially for those who have been disenfranchised by systemic racism. As an example, voter rights should be a given for citizens yet legislation is still being debated. So, it's harder for folks adversely affected by it to care about illegal immigration.