ProfD

Yeah mayne. VB has been out of the closet for several years. Again, in my mind it goes back to having non-threatening black men on TV. They don't want a black man who looks like this spilling the tea. 😁😎

Civil War. A total of about 500,000 dead from the North and South. White folks fighting for real over a principle...slavery. Illusion of division. Afterwards, one of the primary successes of Reconstruction was restoration of the Federal Union and limited reprisals against the South directly after the war. Former slaveowners were given reparations. White folks will kill each other like it's nothing and when the dust settles, they're back to drinking and playing cards like nothing ever happened. Every World War is indicative of it. The one thing they are united in is maintaining racism. 😎

Yessir. I remember many years ago, a dude was over in Singapore putting graffiti on the walls. The US tried to intervene. Nope. They whupped his azz. I bet that dude can't stand aerosol spray paint, magic markers, crayons, pencils, pens, etc. Thank goodness for computers and smartphones. He can type whatever he has to say.😁 Corporal punishment (flog, cane, waterboard, amputate, stone, etc.) would reduce crime immediately. But no, that would be bad for businesss here in the US. They need to warehouse black folks. The prison industrial complex is a cash cow that props up the economy in many ways. The more f8cked up enforceable laws we have on the books, the better chances they have of throwing folks into greater confinement. I just heard a news report the other day that black folks are locked up 5 times more than white folks for similar crimes. Latinx folks are locked up 1.3 times more than white folks for similar crimes. I'm not surprised. Do yourself a favor and hang out at the courthouse one day. You will see black folks going to prison for drug offenses. White folks going to time out, er, drug rehabilitation class for the same offenses. Don't get me started on the n8gglets who enforce the laws (judges and prosecutors). They lock up the black folks and set the white folks free. 😎

Troy, thanks for your effort in trying to provide me access to start a thread but so far it's still a non-starter. I'll try it again when I get to my laptop. Again, I appreciate this dialog space you've created. Thanks for allowing me to contribute. In the meantime, until I can start a thread, here's my latest musing: The Masked Driver As Cynique mentioned in another thread, laughter is the best medicine. I've always been a natural born clown. I can find humor in almost everything. That's probably why I'm not a drunk or drug addict.😁 So, regardless of where one sits on the fence regarding mask wearing, this sh8t right here cracks me up: Feel free to explain to me how and why it makes sense to wear a mask while driving alone with the windows rolled up.😁 If the Rona is in your ride, you're already f8cked.😁😎

Nope. It still doesn't work for me. I have a few credit cards, er, IP addresses. Let me know which one is good to use.😁😎

IMO, it has happened. I provided one example of a Talented Tenth black man who inspired excellence without being elitist. There are many others. They just don't get the shine or credit for the work they do in uplifting black folks. Instead, the spotlight is placed on athletes and entertainers. The talented 1% of which the odds of making are slim to none.😎

Right. But, they don't want to do that. 😁 The fact that Halloween candy hits shelves in the summertime and Christmas movies are shown all year round tells me the capitalists want to make money by any means necessary. Even mentioning the supply chain shortages and idling shipping containers will force people to run out and buy more water, toilet paper, hand sanitizer and masks. Oh yeah, they will stay up all day and night trying to order another Playstation 5 for themselves, er, their kids. We already know Jeff Bezos' bag is overstuffed because all of this junk has to be delivered. His company has independent contractors delivering packages around the clock like Uber drivers. Folks are getting paid at the expense of the sheeple. Watch their hands. Follow the money.😎

It will never case to amaze me how people can comfortably eat off someone else's pain, suffering, misfortune, etc. Even more crazy when it's white folks who stand to gain the most when exploiting people of color. They have a way of discovering and/or digging up sh8t like it's an artifact, blowing the dust off and reselling it to a new audience. Oprah Winfrey galvanized white women into giving her a fortune. She's paying it forward by providing an innocuous platform that is Smooth Jazz for the eyes. I wonder if that makes these people the human equivalent of a buzzard. 😁😎

Understood. Part of being among the 10% is having the ability to transcend those negative human emotions. It's takes a strong mind, courage and determination to shake haters and keep pushing. But, it's not impossible. Despite his personal problems, DC Mayor for life, Marion Barry is an example of the Talented Tenth. The man had a MS in Chemistry. He could have worked in corporate America and lived a nice, cushy life. Instead, he became the mayor of the original Chocolate City. Mayor Barry was beloved in the city by folks from all walks of life because he was of the community he served. Mayor Barry would show up any and everywhere just to kick it with the people. The business, educational and employment opportunities he created uplifted hundreds of thousands of black folks who are doing extremely well. I'm a living testimony. 😎

IMO, a talented black person can still be a 10% if they decide to work, lead, live and play, etc., i.e. uplift a black community instead of taking their talent to a white community. People are inspired and motivated by those who look like and are of them. Unfortunately, through media and in their communities the role models many black folks are most often exposed to are athletes, entertainers, drug dealers and gang-bangers. But, that inspiration and motivation would work just as well if there were more black professionals (teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists, etc.) and business owners in black communities. 😎

Until I get my thread starter wings, I'll post a potential topic of interest here. If you notice prices creeping up on goods and empty shelves in the stores, there's a reason. https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/containergeddon-supply-crisis-drives-walmart-rivals-hire-their-own-ships-2021-10-07/ Ships containing loads of cargo containers are idling in the water and cannot unload everything folks love to consume. Supply chain shortages are slowing down the production of goods too. That backlog and unloaded shipping containers will lead to higher prices on available products. Then, workers are quitting jobs which makes it harder to get products on the shelves. Domino effect. Just a public service announcement as we head into the holiday season. Start buying your gifts yesterday especially if it's an in demand item.😎

Ideologically, the responsibility of the Talented 10th was to put their own personal interests aside in order to uplift their communities. Regardless of whether it's a country or a corporation, when it comes to leadership, a small percentage of folks leads the multitude. A Talented 10th doesn't absolve the role of the 90%. Every individual within the community has the responsibility of using their knowledge, skills and abilities to make life better as well. 😎

Sure. It only takes the talented 10% to hammer out a solid agenda and present it behalf of the group. The best and brightest black minds didn't wait around for consensus when it came down to getting things done. They knew there were more than a few butter biscuit and greasy chicken eating n8gglets licking their fingers who were down for whatever as long as they came up.😁 Pioneer, as I read your last two lines quoted above, I'm hearing NF Jr's voice. ROTFLMAO.🤣 Nowadays, it's hard to get the talented 10th in the same room. They've got platforms that allow them to do a whole lot of talking without solving any problems. I'm not going to drop names but you have an idea. It's been 53 years since MLK Jr was assassinated. I'm beginning to think they killed the dream and buried any hope of a black agenda with him. 😎

Personally, I'm not offended by Meek Mill's artwork. I just don't find it to be in good taste. The artwork looks like something that should be in a Boondocks comic book.😁 I'm not a black woman either but as a connoisseur of them, I can type/say unequivocally that many black women take great pride in their bodies and personal appearance. They just want it to be seen by the *right* person i.e. someone who they find attractive. That's why black women wear clothes to accentuate the positive and give an idea of what lies beneath. They certainly don't dress like Middle Eastern or Amish women. Women do not want to be objectified or sexualized by those to whom they're not attracted. When a woman is digging someone, it's on and poppin' and everything comes off. Religion and morality is the smoke screen folks hide behind until they feel safe letting their hair down and doing what comes naturally. Whodini said, "nobody wants to be called a freak but everybody wants to get freaked". 😁 Even in black churches, the women try to out-dress each other in order to get the pastor's robe to rise. They certainly aren't going after the choir director dude because he's after the pastor too. 😁 The bottom line is that black women are comfortable in their nakedness and willing to share it with whoever they feel is qualified to see them. 😎

Yep. This was started a couple decades ago. Mentally ill folks were released from institutions back into society. Many of them are living in homeless shelters or in a group home setting or on the streets. They really should be in a long term care facility. But, prisons have beome the defacto Pyschiatric asylum. Of course, there is no long term treatment and/or rehabilitation. Once time is served, that individual returns to society. We can only hope they do not commit a more heinous crime. Again, this country could do a much better job in tackling mental health issues. Maybe there is a reason it doesn't...by design. 😎

I most certainly appreciate it bro. 👍 BTW, let me know which browser you all are using. I've tried Google and Explorer. No dice.😎

Thanks Cynique. I just tried to start a thread and GoDaddy shut it down. Access denied. Pioneer has volunteered to start threads on my behalf but I'm a grown azz man. I should be able roll my own. I'll just blabber in existing threads. Maybe I'll dumpster dive and dig up old ones that are relevant to what I wanna write/say. 😁 Seriously, there's plenty stuff happening every day worthy of discussion. I'll wait for my light to turn green. 😎

When folks were under the illusion that they had rights and privilege, ignorance was bliss. This was their country to do as they d8mn well pleased. Now that they're being told what to do, wear a mask and get a jab, it feels like a violation of freedoms. They don't like it one bit. Tastes funny. Now, lines have been drawn in the sand between the left and right. The fighting will continue into the 2022 midterms and beyond. IMO, America will not shut down again. Except Jeff Bezos d8mn near doubling his fortune, too much money was lost during that exercise. They're going to do everything possible to return to normalcy.😎

Rapper Meek Mill just released a new record. This link is to an article regarding the artwork on his album: https://eurweb.com/2021/10/12/watch-dad-loses-it-over-meek-mills-racy-album-art-on-side-of-philly-bus-is-this-what-you-want-black-women/ I linked the article instead of the picture so as not to offend anyone. Either our people just don't seem to get it and/or they will do anything to make a buck. 😎

I've met a Lacks heir. Their family could definitely use the money. Ben Mumble Crump is definitely getting paid since he's become the face of these high profile cases. To Troy and Mel's point, there is always a team of attorneys behind the scenes. Somebody has to do the work while Benny Mum-ra is on every cable news show. 😁😎

I'm not in a union but I do fall under a collective bargaining agreement. Leadership (POTUS PJB) is telling us to follow the CDC guidelines and get vaxxed. 😁 i saw a news report where the leader of a huge union smiled and laughed when asked whether or not he would encourage members to get the jab. He said some sh8t that was the equivalent of it's complicated. Several healthcare workers have quit or been fired because they refused to get stuck. IMO, folks have become complacent for several reasons but two are 1) statiated with the illusion of middle class status and 2) they are scared to die. The media does a great job in keeping people dazed and confused most of the time. 😎

CRT and mask mandates are only being conflated because they're trying to force white folks to deal with and/or do something they'd rather not. Their freedoms (speech, thoughts, actions, guns, racist, etc.) are paramount.😎

As a sports fan (boxing and football), I get to sit back and watch white folks mix it up over their constitutional rights (1st & 2nd amendment), pandemic fallout (masks & vax), insurrection and racism (CRT). Not since the Civil War has white America been so clearly divided over issue(s). The media does a great job of stirring the pot. They have dispatched cameras everywhere to document it. I don't know what the outcome will be but I think we'll soon find out what's really most important to white folks. Of course, I have some ideas. 😎

Mzuri, I hate to break this news but unfortunately, unions have been corrupted by politics too. Unions collect dues from its members to take care of them supposedly. But, those same unions are also courted by special interest groups to get their members to conform to certain things too. Unions will not buck mask mandates or vax requirements because it would be bad for business i.e. their bottom line. They are encouraging members to follow the rules. I don't know what the end game is regarding this pandemic but I'm watching their hands and following the money. I'm still amazed that they have politiczed and monetized a virus but to date there is no cure for cancer. 🤨 Oh, that's right, there is no money in the cure. But, there's a whole economy built on cancer research and treatment.😎

Nothing. That's why Democrats have historically taken advantage of the black vote. They talk a good game but it's mostly smoke and mirrors. Black folks need to codify an agenda in all areas of human actiivity and have the ability to provide oversight to insure that it happens. There's a reason that other folks have multiple organizations and special interest groups to secure their needs and wants. Black folks need more ore than NAACP, CBC, BIG, UNCF, BLM, etc. Most of those are fronts anyway. They are the organizational equivalent of a Sit and Spin: The words could be updated to articulate the black agenda once it's codified. 😁😎