aka Contrarian

@umbrarchistYou have a Chicago flavor. And you passed the anti- Trump litimus test. You're an Agnostic, and maybe not an anarchist.

I'm using my Samsung Android right now, stretched out on my recliner, chillin'. This is why I now post so much at night. Because I can do so in comfort. Actually, once you get the hang of it, using the phone method is not that bad. Posting pictures is not difficult for me and I can enlarge my keyboard. The real problem is the profusion of ads and, as I said before, the who-is-saying-what-quoting-who amid the maze of marathon threads. I ordinarily use the touch typing system I learned in my high school typing class, but here, I use the one finger hunt and peck method aided by the self correction and spell-check features. How the board is set up allows you to edit and delete. @umbrarquist: Agnostic...AgainstTrump... SearsTower...IIT...IBM...hummm.

When it comes to parenting, as the mother of 5 children, I can state that there is no magical one size fits all method for raising kids because each child is different. Parenting is a learn by doing trial and error process. And nothing is more vexing than the unsolicited advice ftom those who don't have children. My husband lost his father at an early age, so he always appreciated my father's input on subjects and one of the things my dad passed on to him was to be a man of your word if you want to gain the trust of your wife and kids. We always lavished praise our kids when they did well and downplayed their failures, and were careful not to over inflate their self esteem. With me, it depended on how capable a man was when it came to controlling or taking the lead. I'm lazy and have never liked a lot of responsibility so if a man wanted to run the show he could. But if he fell short on a regular basis, I was gone. I was married for 50 years.

@ProfDSometimes, these threads get so entangled with quotes and responses that I can't tell who is saying what because I'm age impaired. And It's also rather difficult for me to navigate through this forum using my phone. I miss my computer and its keyboard. I need to get a lap top I guess. Anyway, I don't agree that the Baby Boomer and GenXers had it that easy. My kids didn’t. It's the Millennials, and GenZers who are indulged by their parents and who don't really care about tradition. Nor are they preoccupied with institutionalized racism because they are pacified by instant gratification. The world is changing and so are the priorities of its youth. The only thing they seem to be struggling with are their gender issues. The majority of black ones are clueless when it comes to reparations. If Trump gets in, young folks may not even be that dislodged.

@ProfDYou prefer to ignore or dismiss the "forward" progress that Blacks have made because you are stuck in the mire of reparations. If you believe that "heaven resides within you", then why are you so luke warm about the rewards of individualism? You have created your own "pie-in-" the-sky-fairy-tale".

...words,words,words. I'm captivated by the spaces between the words. When it comes to life, it is what it is. 😶 💬

@ProfDIf Blacks could control America, they would. And because they believe everything originated in Africa, they implicitly consider blackness superior. Of course. we are both entitled to our opinions. One thing for certain; nobody speaks for all Blacks.

As a member of the generation who actually lived through and participated in past history, my response is to the "Johnny-come- latelys" like nels, hindered by their tunnel vision, spouting all of their second-hand information which does not span the big picture. Black progress has been made and was not accomplished alone. Much of it began during Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration within the halls of the non-discriminatory Civil Service department, where ANYBODY who passed an exam was eligible for federal employment which at that time also included the Post Office. Democratic president Harry S. Truman desegregated the armed forces. There were also organizations like the NAACP, The Urban League, and last but not least, the Civil Rights movement, all of which wouldn't have gone far without the help and financial assistance of white people of good will! The much-maligned liberal media is who aired Martin's and Malcolm's grievances. catapulting them into the national spotlight that proved beneficial to them. LBJ, who was a product of his southern origins, put aside his past and, with MLK looking over his shoulder, signed the civil rights bill. Jewish philanthropists and white corporations also funneled large sums of money into negro causes and colleges during those times. But others with ulterior motives want to put their spin on the situation when, in truth, blacks have not been the complete dupes of political parties. In a perfect world, things would be perfect but in the real world, Life don't give a damn about niggas, and since Jesus ain't stepped up, black folks need to look in the mirror and consider who really deserves the blame for their race not achieving its secret wish to control America and enforce black supremacy. 😜 Some consideration should also be given to the fact that, as individuals, blacks are at their best, and that the black middleclass hasn't done bad for itself, either. But, of course, this mindset does not jibe with the myopia of the visionaries who dream the impossible dream🙄 I'm done. 😝

Watching the Democratic convention on live TV presents no problem for a cynic like me. I make no apologies about my interest in watching history being made. I'm curious! And I'm certainly liking all the examples of woman power showing up during these proceedings. I can hardly wait to see what will predictably be nels' scathing review of Kamala's acceptance speech. He probably has it already written,! 🤣 😜

Ho-Hum. When it comes to the subject of pulling strings, nels, himself, prompts me to make a comparison. He's like a dummy whose ventriloquist is the Retrumpican cult. In the event of a November win, however, his numbskull will no longer be needed, so he'll have to go hunting for a "black job". If he's lucky there might be a few openings left for GOP bootlickers. Meanwhile if you're tired of being inundated with nels' right wing propaganda, go on line and check out ACLU's breakdown of Project 2025, the manisfesto of the Heritage foundation which is the ultra Conservative organization backing the MAGA Menace for president, just waiting to install him as America's monarch.

@TroyAwwwwww, how sweet! Instead of a granddaughter, you got a late-life baby. Hi, Delano! You guys both look young for your age!

@ProfDYes, I live in a suburb 17 miles west of Chicago, about a 20-minute drive from the United Center where the convention is being held, and which is also the home court of the Chicago Bulls. The city has been preparing for this event all summer and excitement is polluting the air. I, myself, like most others, am ŕestricted to watching this historic event on TV. One of my daughters, however, volunteered to be a member of the reception crew so she will be getting a close up look at things. We shall see what we shall see...

Nels' response to this question was nothing more than an attempt to justify his infatuation with the Republican Reich. On and on he rambled trying to make his subliminal case for the Republican party being the antidote for the poisonous disinformation he was spewing about the Democrats. Bottom line, what nels couldn't bring himself to admit is that, when it came to racial matters, the Democrat and Republican parties did reverse roles! He remains shackled to the Republican narrative that he obediently parrots. And, incidentally, in the person of my Cynique alter ego, I was around when nels put in his first appearance on this site And tho I have many memories about those days, the only thing I recall about him was his name. Fueled by his arrogance, I think he has embellished the impact he had on this forum back then, and still sporadically shows up here, desperately yearning to gain some measure of respect.

The first photo is my high school graduation picture at which time I was 17. Second one was taken last year when I was 90. Yesterday, I observed my 91st birthday. Physically, I have declined. I don't have a lot of energy, suffer some hearing loss in my left ear, need cataract surgery on my right eye and don't have a lot of "pep to my step". Mentally, I'm probably in the early stages if dementia but, personality-wise, I'm still the same skeptic I was at age 20; just a little wiser. Still march to my own drumbeat. "This, above all, to thine own self be true", the words I live by. I would like to hang around long enough to see who wins the presidential election but if one of these mornings I don't wake up , I wouldn't care. "Life is a journey that is homeward bound." I'm curious about the hereafter. zzzzzzzz

@nels I find it amusing but predictable that you would refer to Walz as a dangerous socialist nutcase. This from a Retrumpican shill who will apparently cast your vote for a dementia-riddled compulsive liar and convicted felon who makes Kamala Harris look like a Sunday school teacher, a tyrannical meglo-maniac who would be instrumental in turning this country into a fascist theocracy and whose running mate is the real nut case. smh. Get real.

If for no other reason than to be able to smugly smile, I want Kamala Harris to win so she can, in effect, tell all these self important, politically impotent black men to kiss her black ass. It's not like sistas are in the habit of depending on their menfolk to come through for them, not like they aren't resourceful enough to independently do for themselves. Not like the black male voting bloc is that disciplined. Black women have learned to fight their own battles without input from inefficient black males. I'd be willing to bet it wasn't Kamala's idea to approach what's-his-nzme for an interview. Probably the bright idea of a white male member of her staff who is naive enough to think 10K was enough to buy a nigga off. 😝

In the south, yesterday's Democrats are today's Republicans. Those good ol boys flying confederate flags and toting rifles still exist. Only the names have been changed because red neck white crackers are more compatible with racist conservative Republicans. The "Dixiecrats" morphed into "Retrumpicans" beginning in the 1960s Why is this so hard for Republicans to process and why do they keep desperately dwelling on it, attempting to create a smoke screen? Labels are superficial. It's not what a group is called. It's how it behaves. The past is the past. Today's KKK members certainly won't be voting for Democrats Kamala and Tim.

Imo, race is many-faceted and fluid. I tend to agree with those who say it is a social construct. (It would certainly have to be if, as Pioneer claims about blond blue eyed Polish and red haired green eyed Irish people at one time not being considered white, is true!?) I suspect these immigrants were just looked upon as second class citizens. To me, hair texture is a very good race marker. The nappy black hair gene seems to be a dominant one, and in my experience, a "giveaway" when race is in question. And surely sociology and psychology should be given as much attention as anthropology when evaluating and deconstructing race. Since having scientific credentials is obviously not a requirement in this discussion, I submit that blackness can also be a state of mind, a mystique, a certain demeanor, a special vibe, a unique blend of traits stemming from the survival techniques that had their origin within the confines of the slavery culture. That's our identity. As for the pedigree of America's slave descendant population, we are actually a hybrid breed that could be classified as a subdivision of the Negroid race. Of course, as Troy is always quick to remind us, the current school of scientific thought contends that there is only one race; the human one. And that our samenesses far exceed our differences. Kamala Harris has an Asian mother and a Black father. She is, what she is. It's as much about context as about biology.

Not that I really care, but how pioneer describes the curremt state of American white womanhood is so glaringly the exception and not the rule that it only requires one word to refute it. "Ridiculous!" HaHa. Caucasian women are still among the most desired females in the world. Great numbers of their menfolk are not deserting them in order to marry mail order brides or other ethnicities. Not according to my sources. When it comes to the subject of the designated role of African American women in this country, pioneer is too subjective to be taken seriously. So I won't do so. HaHa He insists that black women are, and always have been used by white men, and he recommends that sistas opt to send the right message by standing by their men and refraining from succumbing to the sickness of honestly evaluating a white husband prosoect. And, in consideration of their downtrodden fathers, sisters must repent and obediently become crutches for the legions of limping black men, who those mean ol white guys are aways mistreating. ☹️ There's your assgnment, black females. Now hop to it like good girls! 😏 I'm done. Time to go back to more urgent matters like fretting over the dumb-ass Democrats. They got it wrong. Kamala is not the one. She ignites too much controversy. Dems lacked the insight to foresee this.

@Prof D. The above exchange between you and me could've taken place 10 years ago. 10 years hence, what we've both said will be an example of the "more-things-change- the-more-they-become-the-same" adage. In this contest between your rhetoric and my skepticism, another old saying comes to my weary mind. The one that claims that "the pathway to hell is paved with good intentions". To all my good-intentioned black kinsmen I say, lotsa luck in your 400 year struggle to acquire equality within the confines of a homeland where we've never been anything but foster children. Why do I say this? Because you malcontents boo-hoo about it every day presumably from your back seats in the buses driven by the dreaded blue-eyed devils! 👹🤯 The Cynical Contrarian has spoken.😖

Whereas the subject is the donkey's head, you guys all seem to be looking up his ass, full of idealism, continuing to believe that political partys can solve social problems. The fact is that America is engaged in an ongoing class war. The elitist Capitalistic system is the real enemy and it has spawned a society made up of the "haves" and "have nots", rewarding the rugged individuals who have figured out a way to milk the system , accumulate wealth, and control the status quo. Communism and Socialism purport to be the answer to the scourge of Capitalism, but these 2 ideologies soon degenerate into the corruption that power generates. Maybe if Blacks framed their problem in a different way, stopped asking the wrong questions and expecting the right answers, the conclusions they reach would enlighten them. Whatever they've been doing, is not working, (thanks in part to the crabs-in-the-barrel toxicity which erodes the unity every one seems to think will ensure success). zzzzzzzz Perhaps the new strategy should be no strategy. Keeping in mind that Talk is cheap, Life is not fair and Fate is fickle, come to the realization that not all problems have solutions. Some eventually dissipate or mutate in order to make room for new ones. 😜 The Cynical Contraian has spoken. In a couple of weeks I will observe my 91st birthday. Unless of course I die first. 😵‍💫

@Troy: I think you misunderstood my statement. In saying that my problem with Kamala having a white husband was "purely political", I meant that my problem was purely political, not her marriage. My objection was based on the possibility that such a marriage could cause her to lose the vote of people who disapprove of interracial marriage. Get it? I wasn't saying her marriage was purely political. (Especially since her husband isn't a politician.)

In regard to the surge in Kamala Harris support groups, it serves that vocal social media crowd of Kamala detractors right! That's what these black dudes get for turning their backs on Kamala. They got gamed by white guys, Their pettiness backfired and now they're standing around with egg on their faces, left with nothing to offer the Democrats in exchange for their votes. You trifling second stringers ain't ready to run with the big boys. Go sit back down on the bench and play with yourselves. Meanwhile, those pragmatic brothas in high places who do get on the Kamala bandwagon will reap what benefits result in the event of a Democrat victory. Actually, there's still no guarantee Kamala will win, with the specter of Robert Kennedy's candicacy beckoning disgruntled Blacks looking to play the spoiler role. But who ever triumphs will represent a victory for white superiority when it comes to chicanery. As for alternatives, when Obama was president, black men were among his harshest critics. They've never stopped besmirching his legacy, calling him a sell-out who did nothing forBlacks.Now suddenly certain ones are convinced that Obama's inexperienced all-black wife, with his help, would be a good president, miraculously equipped to deal with a racist Republican controlled Congress. Hopefully, Kamala's vice president choice will be someone who, behind the scenes, can take up her slack. This campaign is really setting the stage for chaos. There may be some dissent at the Democratic convention from resentful upstarts wanting an open convention, miffed over being blitzed by the Kamala Harris coronation that left them no say in the selection process. Then there's the Electoral College which could be the biggest obstacle of all. The highly vaunted Foundling Father's did posterity no favor by coming up with this convoluted process that counterfeits the popular vote. These male chauvinistic, slave holders were not all they're cracked up to be. They'd have certainly favored Trump for President over Harris!

@Pioneer1NOTHING you have said voids Kamala's qualifications. In fact your critique of the presidency also applies to her. Nor did your testimony particularly enhance Michelle's suitability. And it's amusing how a wanna be black guru like you is more impressed by Harvard than Howard and would give more street cred to the south side of Chicago than to Oakland California. źzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Here's my 2 cents. There are more single women among Blacks than any other ethnicity and that's because sistas have to share black men with white women. White women face no such dilemma. White men are not bypassing them to marry black women. Even among celebrities. So this is a non issue imo. In any case, who could blame black women if they seek to diversify their choices in men, considering the contentious relationship they have with black males. I don't think it's a big deal. It's simply a sign of the times. Like everyone else, black women should be free to marry whomever they please. All this BS about high achieving black women sending the wrong message by marrying outside their race is just that. Bull shit. If the example of a black female role model being a sista who has snared a brotha with a car and a good job is a dated idea, so is all this blather about slavery still influencing the dynamic between black women and white men in the year 2024, especially considering what a black career woman brings to the tabie. Whether successful or not, black women have earned the right to marry any color man they choose, They have no obligation to assuage the egos of black men or to inspire impressionable black females who, when all is said and done, would still prefer a black NBA baller over a white hockey star. My problem with Kamala having a white mate is purely political. This image could cost her votes among the superficial crowd.