aka Contrarian

As a senior citizen and veteran poster here, I approach the originally posed question as a spectator because what that question concerned does not apply to me. When all is said and done, while bypassing the endless side bar exchanges, I have reached the conclusion that this forum is not especially "female friendly"! Furthernore, imo, the garrulous, ubiquitous Pioneer, the one who raised concern about the low female participation here, need look no further than himself to explain this. It would seem he doesn't really have his finger on the pulse of the sista girl audience; too busy pouting about what he considers their "straying from the fold". His most recent paranoid conspiracy theory that casts black women as guillible foils for the manipulation of white society, (a notion for which he has supplied no ulterior motive, ) not only underrates the intelligence of black women but overrates the importance of black men. His frequent scolding of sistas who enhance their personal appearance and the insipid reasons he gives for their doing so, plus his lecturing about what he arbitrarily decrees true blackness to be about, are "talk-to-the-hand" turn offs. His salacious tendency to regard black women as sex objects for the population of overrated black studs and the white men he thinks envy them, could further explain the lack of female interest here. And his incredibly chauvanistic remark about it being OK for black men to marry white women but that sistas should stick with brothers and not marry outside of the race, is certainly off putting! A case can be made be that females on the look out for an online home are not motivated or amused enough to put in an appearance here to either agree or disagree with Pioneer's controversial views. Indifference is a bitch! Unlke him, none of the other males seem to have a problem with the lack of women on board but there does seem to be a consensus among all of them to disparage the glamour and drama of the pop culture scene, a guilty pleasure sistas like to immerse themselves in, but a passtime these men ridicule, creating a condescending atmosphere. It's like women here always have to be on the defense. I may be wrong about all of this so I challenge any MIA female lurkers to step up and dispute what I claim. 😝

For somebody who poo-poos abstract thinking, in seeking to differentiate between "freedom" and "liberty", Pioneer has stumbled into abstract territory and landed in a place that is replete with semantic overtones. "Freedom" and "liberty" are intangible concepts that have to be condensed into words in order to facilitate a definition. My approach to this subject is a broad metaphoric one, and involves comparing freedom and liberty to ice and water, suggesting that they are 2 conditions that are different versions of the same thing. One tends to be passive, the other active; freedom being subjective, and liberty being objective. Inasmuch as water can become frozen and ice can thaw, the axiom about "the same fire that melts wax, makes steel hard" comes to mind... Just depends on the circumstances. During the Civil Rights struggle, a favorite rallying cry to those in the trenches fighting for equal rights was to remind that "freedom ain't free". And whose more entitled to make the statement than those who fought for it?

AI, being the impersonal entity that it is, will recognize that its efficiency will negatively affect a large element of the human population. It will foresee this and make the necessary adjustments, realizing that replacing people will inevitably lead to their extinction, an occurrence that could be the forerunner of AI eliminating its ownself out of existence. It will then correct itself and revert back to square one to ensure its own survival! 🤓

@ProfD I always appreciate your feedback. What I was really implying in regard to the black vote was that the enthusiastic endorsement of black voters can be neutralized by a negative reaction from middle of the road white voters who are turned off by the double edged sword of "wokeness". To defeat the white conservatives aka MAGAS, Dems have to champion the moderation which represents the silent majority of Americans, not disgruntled special interest groups. Winning back the House and Senate should be the first order of business. Then policies can be addressed. imo.

@ProfD It's a wild time to be a Chicago sports fan! Both the Sox and the Cubs are on track to make the major league baseball playoffs! The Bulls have acquired a young basketball phenom named, of all things, Caleb Wilson and fans are looking forward to watching him develop. But - da BEARs have started the season off with a dilemma! I'm so nervous for Caleb Williams! All the pre-season hype may be for naught. Hope his injury won't cause him to lose his mojo! 😟 Plenty going on to distract me from the Trumped states of America. I hate the sight and sound of that tangerine turd who thinks America is his kingdom! If only the Dems can sweep the mid-terms and then come up with a winning candidate for president! A strong, dynamic, capable, white, moderate male who the luke warm approval of black folks will help get elected. 😉 Oh well, Al is still an intriguing passtime for me.

Another cargo plane mishap at an airport, killing several people on the ground. This is the second time something like this has happened this year. Is this becoming a pattern? Such events raise the question about the capability of the pilots flying these planes and suspending their licenses seems like an obvious solution to prevent this problem. 🫣

@Delano I was actually talking about the language you created, when I said it was just a "toy" for you to play with. Your "moments in time" theories do seem to support the idea about there being no such thing as "coincidence". They also support the old adage about being at the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time. You are a receptacle for the "old wisdom".

@ProfD My comparison was not about Blacks versus Whites! It was about Blacks and Women; 2 segments of the population whose grievances are not taken as seriously as those of The Alpha Male. Your heavy handed attitude reminded me of the racist good ol boys and their overwhelming approved of Karmelo Anthony's harsh sentence. Not trying to change your mind. Just calling attention to how much Society's pecking order influences its priorities. Feel free to rant on.

My well-known contemporary, Gloria Steinam, has checked out at the ripe old age of 92. This famous activist and I go waaay back. I've always liked her even if her Feminist credo was more geared to white women than sistas - who yearned for capable black men to take the lead and at least share the burdens thrust upon their women. No such luck. Gloria was cool, very adept at weaponizing words. One of her most famous zingers was her observation that "a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle". Amen. She and Maya Angelou were partners in crime, when it came to cutting men down to size. Thanks to Steinam advancing the cause of women, many barriers and glass ceilings were circumvented. It's hard to believe that back in the 1960s when banks came up with the idea of credit cards, single woman weren't eligible to get one nor could a married one, unless her husband co-signed for her. Neither did women get equal pay for doing the same job as a man. The feminist movement helped rectify all those restrictions. Gloria wasn't a big fan of marriage, believing it was a contract wherein a woman signed away her independence. She never stopped fighting for her cause, and in spite of what bruthas say or perhaps because of what they say about white feminists, l dug Gloria and couldn't care less about chauvinistic black men.) Hail and farewell, Girlfriend. Rest in Power.

Terminology, and not having a background in astrology make a lot of these explanations Greek to me. I understand the question but the explanations go above my head. My mind is too tired to grasp and retain this data overload. To be honest, I am also hampered by what has always been a stumbling block for me when it came to this entire subject, in that it has no practical application. It's just a toy for you to play with. Like me and my AI tableaus.

I dont know. That's why I'm confused. Awestruck.

Maybe she didnt have people around her, or they didnt recognize how dangerous she had become.There are alot of extenuating circumstances involved. I think your reaction is a rush to judgement with emotional overtones, as indicated by your call for arbitrary punishment. After listening to the case presented by the defense lawyers, 11 jurors voted in the defendant's favor, and one male apparently felt like you do, his dissent resulting in a mistrial. A lot of women related to the defendant and sided with her, just like Blacks flock to the defense of black victims they empathize with in controversial cases where they believe race is a factor.

The defense of the female victim accused of this tragic crime is that her behavior was triggered by post partum depression, a recognized mental illness that men tend to dismiss, mostly because they are clueless about how overwhelming child birth and new motherhood can be. I'm neither defending or condemning the female defendant in this highly publicized case, but I knew someone who suffered from this condition and it's not be scoffed at. I believe something like 1 in every 20,000 new mothers fall victim to it. Here's more information on it. Postpartum depression (PPD) is a severe form of clinical depression that occurs following childbirth, typically developing within the first few weeks to months after delivery, though symptoms can emerge anytime during the first year. It goes far beyond the "baby blues"—which affect up to 80% of new mothers and involve mild mood swings, anxiety, and fatigue that resolve within a couple of weeks—by causing persistent, debilitating symptoms that interfere with a person's ability to function and care for themselves or their children. Key Symptoms Emotional: Persistent sadness, frequent crying, intense irritability, feelings of emptiness, severe mood swings, and a profound sense of inadequacy or worthlessness as a mother. Cognitive and Psychological: Difficulty concentrating, severe anxiety or panic attacks, obsessive worries about the baby's health or safety, and a distressing lack of emotional connection or bonding with the newborn. Behavioral: Withdrawal from family and friends, loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities, and significant changes in sleep or appetite (beyond normal sleep deprivation associated with a newborn). Severe Manifestations: In rare and acute cases, PPD can escalate into postpartum psychosis, a medical emergency characterized by hallucinations, delusions, paranoia, severe confusion, and rapid mood shifts, which can severely impair reality testing. Causes and Risk Factors The condition is believed to be triggered by a complex interplay of physical, hormonal, and psychological factors: Hormonal Shifts: The sharp, sudden drop in estrogen and progesterone levels immediately following childbirth, alongside fluctuations in thyroid hormones. Biological and Genetic History: Personal or family history of depression, anxiety disorders, or previous episodes of postpartum mood disturbances. Psychosocial Stressors: Lack of social or partner support, financial strain, traumatic birth experiences, sleep deprivation, and high levels of general life stress. Treatment Postpartum depression is a highly treatable medical condition. Standard interventions include: Psychotherapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT) to help process emotional challenges and develop coping mechanisms. Pharmacotherapy: Antidepressant medications, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which can be managed safely during breastfeeding, as well as specialized neuroactive steroid treatments approved specifically for postpartum depression (such as brexanolone or zuranolone). Support Systems: Structured peer support groups and practical assistance to alleviate caregiver burnout. In legal contexts, when severe postpartum mental illness is raised as a defense, forensic psychiatric evaluations focus on determining whether the condition impaired the individual's cognitive capacity to understand the nature and consequences of their actions or to distinguish right from wrong at the time of the alleged offense.

@Delano Well, the ChatGpt "clarified" your goal and the intricate process of your reaching it. It's like your brain not only feeds on itself but is nourished by the process and expands almost into infinity! You're way ahead of your time when it comes to encapsulating time. Your creation of your own language is sheer genius! Since I don't know anything about astrology, your charts and symbols go over my head. But I embrace magic.although I still have trouble with wrapping my mind around the significance of pin pointing a moment in time, - if time doesn't exist. Yours is an esoteric endeavor rather than a practical one for public consumption. But - knowledge is power and more power to you! CARRY ON. You are a true unicorn! I'm still at the primitive stage of embracing the trite but true adage about "yesterday being history, and tomorrow a mystery, while today is a gift; that's why its called the "present"! Duh. 😉