aka Contrarian

Yes, in answer to the question posed, "repression is required for the preservation of white institutions". That's what MAGA and Project 2025 are all about. Keeping America a white, Christian, Patriarchal nation. In order to do this, you have to keep those who threatened this goal in check. The idea of sharing their power is an anathema to those in power. Minorities have to be controlled and- repressed.

I rarely watched the Reidout and I really don't think the average African American did either because, to us, TV is a form of escapist entertainment and the Reidout didn't fit that description.. After hours of doing whatever our daily routines call for, finished with fixing and eating dinner, we are looking to chill out and take in the prime time television shows that appear on our local outlets or streaming services. Watching cable TV news panels featurimg a bunch of talking heads arguing and airing their grievances, is not something we are keen to do. We are content with the half hour evening news reports that the anchors of the major networks deliver to keep us abreast of world affairs, so soon-to- be -gone, apathetic, black commentator Lester Holt will be missed more than the animated, angry black woman, Joy Reid. Viewing sit-coms and cop and true crime shows, and hospital dramas and reality and talent and game shows, etc. are what captivate niggazz before we turn off the lights and fall asleep. So much for being "woke". zzzzz And spare me the head shakin' and hand wringing over how discouraging this behavior pattern Is. it's no sin to want to enjoy what you see. In reality, everybody is stressed out over the ongoing never-ending problems of the world. Blacks, in partucular, need a time-out from the struggle, - from being frustrated overthe lack of progress made against the perceived racism that is woven into the fabric of their lives. Boo-Hoo. Ho-Hum. Change the channel. Sorry, Joy, you just didn't ignite enough interest within your base, and your antagonists have acquired more influence. With the election of tRump, black lives don't matter much any more. MSNBC is off the hook. Hopefully, sorrow will be dispersed and joy will return with the finding of a new and improved venue. Meanwhile. black-oriented shows like "Abbott Elementary" and "The Equalizer" score high ratings and win coveted Emmys. And so it goes...

@TroyI don't feel inclined to change anything in the original essay. You can do whatever you want to do with it. I don't care. I don't really care much about anything any more. I'm tired. My oldest great grandson is 21 years old and still chasing his tail. My youngest great granddaughtet is about to begin kindergarten and is very smart but reclusive. In between, are 2 others boys and 2 other girls, all uniquely different from each other. Just like their parents. What do I know ?

Well, I think the incident falls in the category of "man-bites-dog" news and I have no problem with it going viral. If it hadn't, I would've never known that this type of behavior was not unusual. There are even humorous aspects to this cautionary tale. The girl who was hit claims to have been diagnosed with a brain concussion, incidentally. And GMA is not exactly desperate for ratings since its the #1 morning talk show. So, did you have a problem with reports of athletic coaches molesting their female trainees making headlines?

Well, this place is a tad intimidating. You have to be a somewhat opinionated person to want to participate in or initiate a conversation. an undertaking that could require more effort than people feel like putting forth. In addition to being reasonably well informed, you also need to be articulate enough to make your point. A lot of folks would rather just check out what others say because they are not passionate enough about their convictions to express them. Over time, the format here has evolved into a cast of characters performing for an audience of lurkers whose status never gets past the curiosity stage. These onlookers may also not feel like wading through and getting lost in the marathon dialogs between regulars, when they simply drop by to see what's new. The "way we were" back in the day, will never be duplicated. It was a special moment in time before, as Troy noted, social media sucked the air out of the room. (Still wondering whatever happened to Chris Hayden, Troy) Maybe things would pick up if Troy posed a provocative question of the week and invited viewers to log in and give their responses. Even encourage lurkers to submit their own questions.

I'll be watching out for this event with my new and improved vision! 🫨

It all could've been avoided if the accused girl hadn't done what she was accused of. And I doubt if there has ever been a case before where one runner In a relay race hit another runner on an opposing team with a baton during the final stretch. So it is a newsworthy, human interest story imo, and a sign of the times along with the everybody-gets-a-trophy-custom and winning at any cost attitude that overshadows good spormanship and now passes for acceptable behavior,- thanks to Donald Trump. It certainly bespeaks of childishness and poor home training.

@TroyYou can read social media and not participate in it. You don't have to give "likes" etc, don't have to engage in discussions, or reply to questions or take quizzes. Or extend condolences or wish happy birthdays or post pictures or click on to links. You don't have to participate at all. Like with a news paper, you can just scroll through it and read whatever captures your interest. That's pretty much all I do these days because I'm burnt out - been there, and done all that. Now, I simply observe - just to have something to do to pass the time. Just like I watch Family Feud on TV every day. Just to observe the body language and see how stupid and illogical people are and how fat and ghetto most of the predominantly black female contestants are, and how excited they all get over the paltry prize money which really doesn't amount to that much since it has to be divided 5 ways. And then, of course, there are the antics of the jive-ass host Steve Harvey... No fools, no fun!

If you'd checked out your local news channels, or social media you would've known it was that time of the year to "spring forward" and set your clocks up an hour to get a headstart on the sunlight. You guys are all so untrusting and dismissive of the much-maligned media that, in boycotting it, you miss out on a lot of what you consider "trivial" events.

I heard from a young black female Trump supporter whom i had argued off and on with on FaceBook. She proceeded to play the victim, carping about how she had been ostracized and dismissed for believing that Trump was a better choice for Blacks, who were so ignorant when it came to how much better the Republicsn party was for upwardly mobile African Americans like her. She believed Trump was off to a good start and that it was just a matter of time before America would be great again. She said a lot of things that Blacks have been saying for years about why they couldn't get ahead but she seemed totally unaware that all of her claims were common.knowledge and none of her ideas were original. My over all impression of her has always been that she's a wanna be white person, what used to be referred to as an oreo. I blew her off cuz she not a member of my unique tribe...

Apparently I intruded on one of the private 2-way conversations that ProfD and Pioneer like to text about at length. Sorry. In the early hours of dawn I was misled by the caption of Pioneer's post. zzzzzzz.

Praying on a daily basis. regarding the bible as the word of God, acceptong that Jesus is the son of God makes you a Christian, whether you fellowship with other Christisns by attending a church or not. Christianity is a religion. Recent studies have determined that what has been attributed to laziness and lack of motivation are symptoms of ADHD a mental condition that not only afflicts children but also millions of adults who have been undiagnosed with this disorder. Human beings are complicated entities who describe themselves in ways that are often at odds with society's categories. That's how the LBGTQ community came into existence. I, myself, feel like I am not coordinated with my chronological age. Such is life. My cataract surgery went OK. My long distance vision is much improved. Still can't read small print and may have to be prescribed tinted reading glasses.

Patrice and Prince came on the scene at the same time and the publicity machines tried to make them a couple for a minite. The only song I remember by her is Forget-me-nots. She was a little squirt and wasn't glamourous enough to get a lotta face time back then.

So I should be impressed w rith freaks, and the perverts who hire them, huh. Like I said, they amuse me. But, whatever turns people on. Whoever said the best things in life are free?

Well, Patrice sang a ballad but didn't show off her piano stylings. Gerri (?) worked out on the piano but she didn't sing. White girl Diana took this interplay genre and made it her own; that's how white folks steal black misic. Lol.

I'm not "impressed" by anybody who buys or sells sex. There's an element of desperation involved. And because I'm cynical, I'm amused by any such transactions.

Wouldn't it be more challenging to charm a woman with your swag and sensuality and score a freebie? A self respecting women could conceivably prefer pleasure over profit - an option that could make her feel better about herself - in more ways than one. Selling your body to a man kinda tarnishes one's self-esteem. Women are romantics and like being swept off their feet. Sometimes...

@richardmurray:Diana Krall

Also, Lester Holt, NBC's black evening news anchor is "stepping down". Don't know if it's voluntarily or not. I must admit, I always found Lester to be rather dull but I trusted him to tell the truth sooo - there's that. Heads are really rollimg. Who I think really needs to retire is Whoopi Goldberg. She's just taking up space in her capacity as moderator of ABC's popular daytime talk show "The View". Going on 70 years old, her contribution to the proceedings is just ho-hum. Joy Reid would make a good replacement for her by bringing more depth and journalistic professionalism to the table. i also hear that CBS is coming out with a program to compete with The View, giving equal time to the right wing conservative POV, trotting out Megan Kelly and Candace Owens as co-hosts. EU. CBS also debuted "Beyond The Gates", its new daytime soap opera showcasing a predominately black cast of attractive, mostly light-skinned, DEI-free actors portraying a bunch of bougie negroes and the conflicted lives they lead. I watched the first episode and was semi-impressed.

I should point out that Diana Krall has enjoyed a long very successful career as a singer- pianist jazz musician. She's white, however. And Canadian, Go figure.

Ooops! Where to begin? First, thanks, Richard, for posting all the Dorothy Donegan material. Long time no hear! I enjoyed. Second, let me make myself clear, something I have been remiss in doing lately. I do believe dementia is finding a place in my mind because I meander off on tangents; hence my sidetracking your post into the jazz field which, as profD noted, had nothing to do with the question you posed. I just became fixated on the jazz angle probably because an instrument was involved, and I tend to associate jazz with any black soloist famous for playing an instrument. Little Richard being an exception. Lol But. - not surprising - I digress... back to your question. No, I don"t think anyone will duplicate Alicia Keyes' success. She's sort of a unicorn. And I also found Delano's take on her interesting. I, myself, noticed how at a certain point in her career, she stopped wearing heavy eye make-up seemingly to make a statement about being her natural self. I also want to give some props to Aretha who was a very gifted pianist, not classically trained but a natural talent who frequently enhanced her singing by accompaning herself on the piano. As for Roberta, i wasn't even aware until her recent death of her extensive musical history. I always just thought of her exclusively as a singer with a lush voice. Anyhow, bear with this ol girl. My vision is hampered by cataracts (which i am schedueled to have surgery for) and it's kinda hard to participate in forums via this Android phone. I need to get a lap top since my computer crashed but just haven't gotten around to it.

I didn't respond to the question about the currrent situation as it applies to black female jazz pianists in my first post because I was wracking.my brain trying to think of any current black female jazz pianists. I don't think Alicia Keyes fits this jazz category. So this pretty much prompts me to reach the conclusion that there is no such animal on the current jazz scene. I can't even come up with an up and coming young black male jazz pianist. But since I'm no longer up to speed, my not knowing of anyone who fits this "genre" means nothing. I'm simply under the impression that Jazz remains an acquired taste, its fans discriminating, its audience small, and its female participants limited to vocalists - which is regrettable. So, no, i don't see any signs of Hazel's, Dorothy's, Nina's or Roberta's shoes being filled.

There was another female who was Hazel Scott's contemporary and belongs with this group of classically-trained black female pianist who were equally at home playing jazz or the old masters. Her name was Dorothy Donegan. She was a child piano prodigy who grew up on Chicago's south side and at 5 years old had mastered the keyboard going on to study at Chicago's prestigeous Conservatory of Music and Chicago Musical college. She was later mentored by famous jazz pianists Oscar Peterson and Art Tatim Dorothy and Hazel Scott were also singers who went on to gain great popularity on the night club circuit appearing in exclusive cafes and hotel venues beginning in the 1940s, as well as releasing record albums and making cameo movie roles. They both also had their own jazz combos at one time and often sat in and recorded albums with jazz men like bebop trumpeteer Dizzy Gillespie. I remember them both quite well as a teenager. Dorothy was a very playful performer often mugging and seductively interacting with the keyboard. She died in 1998 at the age of 76. All of these women were phenomenal versatile talents. And Hazel and Nina Simone were civil rights activists. Hazel was at one time married to Adam Clayton Powell. Nina was born the same year as me. 1933.

Hummm. I, for one, have better things to do than to try and picture what kind of facial hair I prefer on a man. As if men would even be interested in the opinion of somebody my age who is out of the loop. To come up with an opinion, I have to go back in time to the days when I gave a damn about what men looked like.... Just for the record, I'm not big on facial hair. Neat mustaches, fine. close shaven VanDykes and goatees, okay, bushy or shaggy full-grown beards, - not so much. Solid dark color. preferred. Anything else a distraction because I simply don't like the wolf man effect of facial hair. My personal preference: clean shaven. I know I'm out of step with what is currently very popular. It's like guys nowadays take great pride in being able to grow a beard and like being envied by those who can't. As for the sub topic about the virtues and rewards of "confident" men... Again, back in the day, - I always gravitated toward the laid-back understated type; even a tad self-depricating. wry wit a plus. More often than not, these types had the most going for them, intellectually. To me, it was a compliment if one of them tried to seduce me. No accounting for tastes... Oh well. Chevedove and Mel, you can chime in. I'm going back to fretting over how too much of my energy is being consumed by despising Retrumpican MAGAs, - black ones in particular. Why am I even still alive??? I'm going for catarac surgery next week. So if they laze me to death, - it's been real, folks!

Change is inevitable, and Time brings change - but not always for the better. America, as we know it, is dissipating and whether this is beneficial will undoubtedly depend on who you are. What I find so disturbing is the flawed, bigoted ineptitude of the person in charge of the change. It's a case of narcissistic meglo-mania being rewarded with the power to completely control. Disappointment reinforces my cynicism when it comes to Life's vicissitudes. I always secretly hoped I was wrong in disparaging the concern of the Universe. But it really doesn't give a damn. Your best bet is to just look out for #1.