ProfD

The fact that the bill didn't gain any traction on POTUS Obama's watch is a testament to the fact that the issue of reparations is a non-starter among Americans. OTOH, the Anti-Asian Hate Crime bill passed through Congress with flying colors. Nevermind that there are less than 20 Asian-Americans in Congress. Reparations will take a massive movement in order to become a real issue for America. The system of racism white supremacy won't allow it. White folks are playing the long game and letting the clock run out. They know time will wash away the history of slavery from future generations of AfroAmericans.

Whether it is physical possessions or digital data, some human beings have an attachment to their stuff. Yet, unless that stuff is of some value, significance or importance to someone else, it becomes junk or trash when that individual to whom it belongs Is no longer around. In other words, one person's trash is treasure to another or vice versa applies. It's a good idea to manage physical possessions and digital data in such a way that it can be consolidated or discarded quickly. Hard drive technology has made data storage cheap enough to keep data secure offline. To Troy's point, being able to retrieve and access it could be a challenge. That goes back to how important is that stuff in the grand scheme of things. Im acutely aware of my mortality. As a result, I'm a minimalist. I purge often enough so that when I die, there won't be a whole bunch of my stuff to keep or throw away.

Think I have an understanding of your idea of black unity from reading your posts. Black unity will never include all or a majority of people. But, it can still benefit those who need help. Every culture has ties that bind the people but there are still differences among them too. Having a tie that binds is code (principles, rules, values, etc.). Code is the 1st step towards unity. From there, dynamism within the group can attack the agenda i.e. issues of importance and concern in all areas of human activity. That's why there are different organizations and religious denominations and political parties, etc. Unity requires leadership. Someone has to step up to plate who has the intelligence, personality, charm and charisma capable of galvanizing a movement. Black folks haven't seen such a figure in several decades now. It's probably gonna take a miracle. But, it's not the blonde haired, blue-eyed dude hanging up on the cross.

Since the beginning of time, men have used some form of money, power, influence, etc., to attract women. Conversely, it is unnatural for a woman to take care of a man financially. Women don't need money, power or influence to get attention from men. Most women become wealthy through inheritance or marriage. Self-made wealthy women have only been around a couple decades. There is no benefit to a wealthy woman establishing a relationship with a man of lower status.

Celebrate is relative. B'day is my personal holiday. I don't work that day. Family and friends know not to ask me for sh8t unless it's a dire emergency. I celebrate my b'day every year in self-reflection and only doing whatever I choose to do. Otherwise, there's no party bash for this old man. Haven't had one of those since I was 7 years old.

Scientifically, we know the Earth is billions of years old. It's on schedule to last another 5 billion years. Humans will not. Human beings aren't billions of years old. At least, we have not found any evidence. Of course it could be argued that as we're recycling fossil fuels... but I digress. Human beings have spent the better part of their existence trying figure out 1) the best way to survive and 2) how we got here. Humans eventually started using various methods and means of keeping track of their time on the planet and events. That's how we ended up with calendars, dates and times. These are markers and placeholders of our existence on the planet. Date and time could be construed as an arbitrary construct. That would take the joy and fun out celebrating birthdays, holidays and other milestones.

The direct answer to your question is that a part of AfroAmerican culture should be encouraging and promoting healthy relationships which extend from family to community. There was a time when a man was forced to marry a woman he knocked up. Out-of-wedlock births weren't cool or normalized. The entire village had a hand in raising children and insuring the well-being of the community. It was a relationship. The lack of solid relationships eventually leads to the breakdown of families and communities. It's the root cause of disunity.

New Year isn't a conspiracy bro. Winter isn't the same all over the country or planet. For those of us who live in colder climates, the delayed beauty of spring gives us more time to get right in the New Year. Happy New Year AALBC fam. Wishing you all the best in 2023 and beyond.

We've already established there are several reasons for it. The bottom line is that if folks don't build solid relationships early in life they will either up alone and/or in a dysfunctional situation-ship.

Ignorance is definitely a cause of unfounded fear. I believe the main cause of fear is not wanting to deal with the punishment or outcome. Folks run away from a fight because they don't want to get beat up or worse. They want to go to heaven but don't want to die. That 400 years of slavery has inflicted a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) on AfroAmericans that has yet to be fully comprehended. But, the conditioning has resulted in a latent fear. White folks have consistently shown their willingness to kill opposition and die fighting i.e. go to war. There are no Black folks on the planet who really want that smoke from white folks. One could argue Black folks are smart enough to avoid it.

The natural order of things is that folks gotta leave us. The Pointer Sisters made great music. Their legacy has been recorded for posterity. May our sista Anita Pointer RIP.

Facts. Every now and then, the universe will send monsters otherwise known as devils among us. There's no shortage of evil folks of all stripes throughout recorded human history. They are responsible for dysfunctional behaviors. However, the evil that is racism white supremacy is unprecedented.

My brotha, I'm always going to push back on the indictment of AfroAmerican intelligence or the lack thereof. IMO, AfroAmericans aren't lacking intelligence moreso than they are paralyzed by fear. I'm sure you all remember those days when it wasn't cool to be smart. Intelligent folks would tuck their intellect like a chain to avoid being confronted about it. AfroAmericans have to get over their subconscious fear and let their intelligence hang like a pair in order to thrive.

IMO, the media has nothing to do with older folks being alone. It's the natural arc of life. Ideally, human beings find a partner with whom they can grow old. Well, as Biggie said, somebody's gotta die. If it works out, they won't be too far apart. Senior citizens who have invested in family and community should have enough folks around them to avoid loneliness especially if their spouse has passed away. However, as offspring, family and friends have their own lives to live, there's a point at which older folks will be alone. That's why it's important to invest in healthy relationships built on friendship. Getting old isn't all fun and games.

As I mentioned, there are several reasons people end up alone. But, here's one... A solid relationship is built on friendship. Friendship is built unconditionally. Think about folks considered closest friends. There were no conditions, expectations or ulterior motives. Most adults go into relationships with a bag full of conditions, ulterior motives and/or expectations. Really getting to know the other person and building a friendship is secondary to accomplishing the mission whether it is s8x or finances or marriage. The real relationship killer is boredom. Most people will not admit that beyond the surface, they are boring as f8ck. Again, that's the importance of friendship. When physical attraction and s8x and money fade away, there has to be something else to keep a relationship thriving and devoid of boredom. Friendship does it. As people get older and fill their Samsonite with BS, they're less fun to deal with and/or be around. Put two people together with mismatched luggage. The trip will start out with good intentions. Grab a bag popcorn and enjoy the show.

D8mn. A real life Jack-O-Lantern. That n8gglets mouf could be the poster for why people are alone...missing furniture, marbles, money, etc.

Have a short conversation with those folks over 40 years old and you'll walk away knowing exacting why they're alone and/or thirsty. Many folks *waste* their most productive years having fun and BSing. They use up their mental and physical capital in non-productive endeavors. Both women and men wake up over 40 years old wanting settle down after accumulating a few Samsonite bags full of baggage. For some reason, despite the fact that I'm probably one of the least religious dudes on the planet, I meet a lot of religious women. Telling them I sit at the right hand of Satan doesn't scare them away. Those religious women have turned their lives over to God after goofing off the best years of their lives. Even as senior citizens with adult childen and grandkids and a couple failed marriages or widowed, these women have either 1) surrendered their bodies to God and 2) want to be married before getting into a physical relationship. Some folks either haven't grown up or they are just batsh8t crazy. There's no shortage of men and women. But, there's definitely a reason why they're alone.

I believe that perception depends on several factors. Where we choose to live, work and play has to be considered. Age group is another factor. For example, there's no shortage of older women available since they tend to out-live men. Of course, physical appearance and other qualities tend to qualify or disqualify individuals from the available pool. From what I can see, there's never been a shortage especially considering birthrates haven't gone down and kids are running around everywhere. Black men and women are finding each other by any means necessary.

Let the haters keep moving to Florida. That will make it easier for us to know where they live. The south has never been shy when it comes to racism. Florida is no exception. I experienced it first-hand back in August 1977. The last time I visited Florida several years ago was cool. No racist encounters. Beautiful weather. Of course, neither of the clowns were in Florida at the time that I'm aware..Orange Julius nor DeDumb.

Agreed. D8mn shame ao many folks had to die. For taking the azz whupping, Ukraine will get close to $100 billion from the USA in order to rebuild their country.

First priority is a better choice of words. Indifferent doesn't have to be cold and harsh. Basically, we need to mind own business and get our own house in order before we can speak about and/or on behalf of another group of people. I still contend that getting pulled into other folks' issues is a diversionary trap to keep us preoccupied with something else.

Jews didn't have to beg or be considerate of or concerned with the plight of any other group of people in getting reparations for the holocaust Japan pulled the USA into World War II. Yet, after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Japanese have been receiving reparations from the USA for a half century and counting. AfroAmericans should not have to bend over backwards for a debt America owes us for 400 years of slavery.

Black unity is not about tyranny or marginalizing or mistreating any other group of people. Live and let live. Black unity and power is about being self-sufficient in all areas of human activity and dismantling the system of racism white supremacy.

AfroAmericans should be indifferent about antisemitism and any other issues concerning white folks that have little or nothing to do with reparations for America's original sin of slavery.

Roundabouts have been around for 200 years. That conspiracy theory of yours is a bridge too far.