aka Contrarian

@Pioneer1Who are the "WE" who would all like examples of your closet homophobia? Your,yourself, and thee? Or the phantom audience you are playing to? I just gave you one explanation as to why I came to the conclusion you are a homophobe. Take it or leave it. It is a lot if trouble to go searching all around trying to find random examples of your disapproval of Gays and your fear of them corrupting the guillible. Especially on an Android phone. I don't do your bidding. You go find some examples yourself that prove my impressions wrong, that you have no problem with with "sissified" men.

Because I don't feel like it. Any more questions?

Implicit in your ongoing fear and distress about your perceived notion concerning the feminization of black men is the specter of homophobia. That along with your urgent need to emphasize the manliness and virility of black men seems symptomatic of a contempt for gay guys. That's my opinion and you are free to dispute it.

OK.

Slow learning has nothing to with the population of Chicago

That's not blond hair. That's a gray wig to cover up my frizzy corn rows. And I'm a passive, non jealous woman who never engaged in cat fights over men. I can understand if my husband hooked up with an old flame since I'm taking so damned long to join him on the "other side".

@ProfD& @Pioneer1 Gimme a break! You two DO regularly engage in discussions that cast "women as sex objects", - a reference to a woman's body odor being the gist of a recent post from Pioneer. "Snatchbox" is a word ProfD coined for the vagina, a spot he and Pioneer love to penetrate so much that he gave it this pet name to spice up their bawdy conversations that hover on the threshold of "personal details". Anytime a woman's picture comes up on a thread, Pioneer immediately starts drooling, as ProfD eggs him on, altho during the most recent exchange ProfD deflated Pioneer's fantasizing about an 80 year old "aunty" he wanted to get next to. These are just a few examples of the male chauvanistic behavior you 2 are guilty of. And my calling Pioneer a "homophobe" is an accurate assessment inasmuch as he expresses his aversion to the "alphabet community" all the time! His disgust for homosexuals is obvious. I've never called ProfD a homophobe because he doesn't come across as one. And Pioneer's attempt at deconstructing my behavior is typical of his warped imagination. He's convinced that he influences my reactions and that I agree with others to spite him rather than because they make more sense than he does. (The mindset of a person who thinks he's always right.) He, himself, " is, a "grandstander", always playing to the lurkers and the peanut gallery, hoping to make himself come across as a winner instead of a loser. When it comes to the dynamics of this board, Pioneer, as usual, thinks he's got it all figured out. Probably lies awake at night assigning roles to everyone as he creates this movie in his head. He is really a character. My participation on this site is a passtime; a diversion. What I find fascinating is how, after a while, peoples' auras transcend their words and good and bad vibes come into play. I should be old enough to know better than to get caught up in all this foolishness....but - "no fools, no fun".

Well, what's a little "strawman" lapse between friends?

Your contribution amounted to nothing more than redundancy.

...just waking up from a good nap. What have we here? Oh wow. Where to begin... Yes, Hollywood does love the men-portraying-women scenarios. Popular white American actors Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon set the pace and earned kudos and laughs dressing up as women opposite Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like it Hot". As did Oscar-winners Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams, when Dustin played "Tootsie", and Robin "Mrs. Doubtfire". Nobody could ever accuse the American film industry of not having a sense of humor or of not balancing drama with comedy. And I'm not surprised Pioneer would admire Arabs whose culture is the most misogynistic in the world, demanding their woman hide their faces when they appear in public, as well as walk several steps behind their husbands when they accompany them. Females aren't even allowed to drive cars in some of these Emirates. Moreover Pioneer's heroes are the very Arabs who have replaced Jews as the exploitive merchants in black neighborhoods. (Farrakhan be damned! ) Btw, Indian men have portrayed women in the Bollywood movies. And when it comes to the complaints about how black men are portrayed in films, the "art imitating life" mantra could apply... Then, the great "chain-yanker", grumbles about me not respecting him. Can I help it if the truth hurts? Not to worry, ProfD will step up and soothe his ego after which they will undoubtedly proceed to regale each other with lascivious stories about the 'hos they have laid. Whatever. All I gotta say is Jamie Foxx as "Wanda" and Martin Lawrence as "ShaNaNa" get nothin' but love from me. Flip Wilson's "Geradine" character does,too. Laughter is good medicine. Keeping things in perspective beats blowing them out of proportion. The Madea movies have been instrumental in Tyler Perry becoming a successful multi-millionaire film mogul. Plus - he gives back to the community! He definitely has his priorities together and for this, he has earned my respect! Rehashing and focusing on the same ol tired grievances has yet to make a difference. Drone on.

Well, I guess Tyler Perry is an unwitting tool of those given credit for being able to turn people into being something their brains weren't wired for in the first place. I prefer to attribute this perceived threat, to the evolving of the human species which at some point in the not too distant future will probably become a race of sexually-interchangeable beings. If, as soooo many people believe, (because, of course, they are too smart to be fooled,) their women become masculine and their men become feminine who's to say this will make Blacks more manageable? 'Might make them even more of a dangerous threat. And, as anybody who has actually seen a MADEA movie knows, her female co-stars present an entirely different image from her persona, - which is not always tough in the first place. These films are the least of black folks' worries. But, the "black dialogue" is what it is.

I don't know which is worse when it comes America's children. The threat of anti-vaxxers or the danger of mentally ill gunmen bent on shooting up schools. It's enough to make couples think twice about having kids because they come with the possibility of future heartbreak. Childhood used to be a happy, carefree time.

How do you know how MEDEA is portrayed since you've never seen one of her films? Nobody takes MADEA movies seriously! They're comedies that appeal to people who have a sense of humor as opposed to mopes like you who promote the degrading image of black women appealing to the baser instincts of men. Furthermore, white people are not the demograph of MEDEA movies. They don't buy tickets to see them nor count themselves among the fans who watch them. Your righteous indignation stance on this issue is ludicrous.

@DelanoIt helps if you are good company for yourself. The ol saw about "idle time being the playground of the devil" should probably be heeded, however.

And your point is?

Watta crock of shit coming from a letcher who misses no opportunity to salivate over and objectify black women as sex objects, who just recently boasted about expecting sexual compensation from any organization that accepted the dubious distinction of his membership. Your hypocrisy is incredible, your homophobia and misogny toxic.

It's like the above picture had a mind of its own and expanded into a huge image, coupled with another photo that latched on to it and which I deleted Strange.

I bad mouth Chi-town a lot but I question whether the movers and shakers and powers-that- be are OK with the criminal element that has led to Chicago's reputation of being a dangerous city! A high crime rate is a liability that scares off new businesses and tourism and can, for one thing, affect enollment in its many colleges like the prestigious University of Chicago, and UIC, the University of Illinois' extension. It should also be noted that crime is not restricted to Chicago's south and west sides. A lot of the shootings and killings occur in the Hispanic barrios where gang activity is well-organized. Also, Chicago's population is over a million and the relationship between the number of people killed in proportion to the total population should be kept in mind. In addition to its picturesque, upscale lake front, Chicago is also made up of a lot of different municipalities within the city, quiet beautiful enclaves with their own names, and far-removed from what goes on in the inner-city. If you just go by the media reports, or Trump's rants you'd think Chicago was the wild west or a combat zone and this isn't the case. Trump is just punishing and tarnishing Chicago because it's in a blue state and is a shelter city for immigrants!

Suddenly I've drifted into a crazy zone. I have nothing but time on my hands, and I live around the clock, only sleeping when I'm sleepy, only eating when I'm hungry, suspended in limbo. My Samsung smart phone is my ever present companion and it's like there's a connection between my fingers and its keyboard and I have a compulsion to just write long dissertations or crazy vignettes, my words and thoughts feeding on each other like i'm overtaken by a rogue AI entity that compels me to write about things I didn't know I knew, - like my subconcious mind is on overdrive. Like now. Fortunately, I'm not immobile nor in dire health. But I do tire easily, and like to curl up on my recliner, where i still set aside time to do patternless crossword puzzles that seem to work themselves and play Bridge on line with computerized robots - who seem to becoming more human by the day... Family relationships are normal, but there's this other world that I drift in and out of and when I sleep I have vivid dreams about all those who have gone ahead. In a recent one it seemed like my husband had hooked up with an old girlfriend. Why do I find this funny??? Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining, not lonely nor depressed, just curious about this weird state I'm caught up in. I still sometimes sneak out at night and look up at the stars... Now i'm about to gear up for my daily walk up and down the driveway. Stay tuned, - or tune out if you have better things to do than read the ramblings of a crazy ol lady. Hoping some winning POWERBALLnumbers will pop into my head. Nothing like a billion dollars to calm your impulses.

Maybe - individual acts of courage and defiance will gain momentum and snowball, and before we know it - crowds rise up, coming together, surging forth, bringing about change and reform, successfully achieving where political parties have failed and - nah... Not happening. The flutterimg American flag goes limp and the strains of Glory Hallelujah fade away. THE END

They're coming...

Well, after closer scrutiny, I realized I made the mistake of assuming the judges were made up of movie reviewers who had some film school or journalistic credentials - critics whose criteria would automatically call for each one of these films to be judged by how well it represented its genre. Not so. Apparently, these folks just indulged their personal favorites, and kissed the feet of Spike Lee, Sydney Poitier, and Denzel Washington. Anyhow, in her defense, the MADEA films fall into the "low humor" bracket. (Like the 3 Stooges ones, whose movies are now considered classic examples of the low humor genre that appeals to the "great unwashed masses".) MADEA ticks all the boxes when it comes to low humor and she is like a folk hero. I assume y'all know that her name is an ebonic version of "Mother Dear", the fond term of endearment lotsa black folks bestow upon their beloved mamas. Moreover, none of her films ever lost money, and that counts for something. "BAMBOOZLED", for further instance, is a perfect example of the satire genre which, imo is the only reason it should be on the list. I don't recall seeing on the list any of the mainstream movies made about the Tuskeegee Airmen. Yet, the "I'm Gonna Get You, Sucka" farce about a returning army veteraran made it. So much for recognizing unsung black heroes. I personally have a problem with "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" being included. Imo, it was an awkard, self-conscious movie which pandered to white Liberals and patronized Negroes. This opinion was shared by many other Blacks when this movie first came out in 1967. But, everybody's entitled to their own opinion.

I've been meaning to check this post out. The list was an interesting compilation. I've seen and am familar with most of the films on it. Surprised there was no mention of any of those priceless all-black films from the 1920s and '30s written, directed, and produced by the legendary Oscar Marceaux (and which used to be shown on TV at one time) ) Also conspicuously absent from the list were any Tyler Perry "Madea" movies, some of which were as deserving as other entries they scraped the bottom of the barrel to include. I think Perry's special brand of humor deserves recognition. His Madea movies are in a class all by themselves, and certainly have a degree of authenticity. I just finished watching the recently released "Sinners" starring Michael B. Jordan, an excursion into the vampire horror genre. A very stylistic surreal outing. It got good reviews but I thought it could've benefitted from some editing. I also recently watched "Moonlight". I liked its off-beat plot and was riveted by the charismatic Mahershala Ali's screen presence. To me, however, the only thing some of the listed films had going for them was that they had all-black casts. And, too bad the movie she appeared in and won an Oscar for prevented Hattie McDaniel from being cited on the list. But "Gone With The Wind" and its romanticizing of the plantation days of slavery eliminated her from getting any props for how much she immortalized the black character she portrayed in this film classic. Btw, my movie-going experience dates waay back to my early childhood when my mother worked at the local theater and I got into the movies for free. I actually saw the "Wizard of Oz" when it first came out in 1939. This movie is still around enchanting viewers of all ages(as is "Gone with the Wind" which also came out in 1939) All of this contributes to my being a subscriber to the "Mandela Effect" because many if these old movies i now see on the TCM and Starz Encore channels are not exactly as I remember them, giving credence to the idea that I have shifted into a parallel universe where things are slightly different. This reaction being a variation of the "Mandela Effect". For a better explanation, Google "The Mandela Effect" or ask an AI search engine about this bizarre phenomenon many others have experienced in different versions.

One of the recent killings involved a 5 year old being shot and killed by an adult female relative. I know young kids can try your patience but - come on, now... I always like it, however, when a person being robbed pulls out their own gun and shoots the robber.

So many of the shootings seem to be impulsive or one-on-one crimes that don't involve robbery or burglery. To me, it's about gun control not police or troops. Folks have just lost their respect for human life.