Mel Hopkins

OMG! I’m only 6 minutes and 16 seconds into the debate and I want to punch Evie in the face! She reminds me of those GOP women who vote their husband’s interest. Malcolm X , on the other hand is sounding like a Thanksgiving meal and I’m praying for seconds. He’s saying the same thing I think when reports indicate African-Americans have trillion dollar purchasing power. While it is an interesting factoid, that even I repeat, it still stands to reason that purchasing power isn’t the same as net worth. The black community allegedly has zero wealth and would have to beg, borrow and steal to keep corporations in the black - while emptying what’s left of its coffers. I’m with @Troy , Evie needs to take several seats. Almost 60 years later and Malcolm X is still the voice of reason.

@Delano Ain’t that the truth! I had a dream about this very concept and it helped me to understand that not only do you need a key - you must be willing to use it if you have it.

@Troy , That’s not journalism that’s an editorialized hit-piece. This video looks like it was from the era when news started to go down that road of sensationalism. I agree with Dr. Khalid when he says, to paraphrase these are words from the “white” man (i.e., the establishment). Shame on this talkshow host acting as if he was unbiased. He had an agenda. And that agenda cheated the viewers. @Troy this is so honest and extremely self-aware! I didn’t understand until this moment why you sometimes mention that most people don’t know themselves. But this reveals those hard truths one has to recognize first before they can go deep into self. This discussion (thread) made me face some unpleasant truths about myself too. Actually had me effed up all day.

This raises a good point - because you and I deal in different currency. Your understanding of marrying up or down may be based on monetary value whereas mine is based in information, access to places that most people are unaware even exists, and opportunities to increase territory. Money can’t buy access - it simply makes it easier to move through once access is granted. Tiger’s father was military and he saw the world from one perspective - but he and his wife couldn’t give Tiger full access. They took him as far as they could. Elin's mother is high-level legislator for the Swedish government and her father headed news bureaus in Berlin and was a U.S. White House correspondent. They don’t hand out those press passes to just anyone. So when Tiger tied the knot with Elin, his star was heading light years away from earth. By the way, any woman agreeing to give birth to man’s offspring upgrades that man- full stop. Also note: accepting a position as a Nanny is much different than having to work as a nanny. The aforementioned allows access - whereas the latter is employment. Maybe you missed the sentence where Elin was asked by the wife of the Swedish pro-golfer to be a nanny to her children when they came to the U.S. - Not only did Elin arrive in the U.S. on someone’s dime - she landed smack dab in the middle in Tiger’s world. She worked as a nanny one time in her life and did it for about a year. The next year she was engaged to Tiger. Elin is said to come from a family of intellectuals. She lived a life of privilege and used her wits to continue the lifestyle she’d grown accustomed to and Tiger’s babies are now citizens of the world. So, all this just to reiterate - when wealthy black man marries a white woman -she may be prettier than a black woman to the man - but no one gets wealthy without a strategy.

The best answer I can give to why black women would marry white men - has to do with currency. What does she value. Will she have to change what she values when she marries? I value freedom of movement, access to information so I got a lot of mileage from marrying a blue-eyed blond German-French man - But then again, I grew up privileged so it was hard for me to consider marrying anyone who wasn’t. Good point.

@Pioneer1 While I don’t like to point folks to wikipedia - I’ll do it in this case... go to wikipedia and check out Elin Nordegren - then check out her parents. While some average black men marry for a big butt and a smile (I kid I kid) (kinda) black men with bank and upperclass black men still appear to marry for reasons other than a good-looking piece of hiney. Btw, @Pioneer1 I’ll never understand why you don’t research these little “fun facts” before you make a claim. As for me, I’ve already been married and had my 3 babies - so no, I don’t need to look. I really find that hard to believe. Really. I’ve known some black women who have been run over by black men...who left them as roadkill and the women have divorced and remarried another black man. Black women are freakishly loyal to black men. So loyal it makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

I haven’t read about any wealthy person marrying a run-of-the mill any woman... most of these women are connected — Then there’s Robert Smith multi-billionaire who married Hope Dworaczyk , former playboy model but she is also coproducer of E - entertainment fashion segment in Canada, when they married. Oh and yes, they’re gorgeous women too - so yes, I agree that’s something too. But there are gorgeous black women so all things equal it’s that extra thing.

@Pioneer1Is that what black women tell you? Or do you believe that because of the love you have for black women and you hope it’s the truth? Actually being white is enough because of the access. You do know white high school graduates have more wealth than black college graduates and even those who have master level degrees ... and tiger didn’t marry no broke chick who wasn’t connected. Inquiring minds like mine always want to know - who wealthy folks are marrying.

I enjoy Neil Gaiman’s writing! It appears he does a lot of research on West African culture and antiquity. I read American Gods when it came out —and admire how much African mythology he wrote into it.

A white woman expands a black man’s reach and sphere of influence in a way a working-class or middle-class black woman can’t. If they travel the ladder together - then they complement each other. If the black woman is already in the 1% then she can open other doors for the both of them. Marriage is still a business partnership. Btw, if the black man is already a billionaire then he can pick his wife out of the playboy magazine. I agree with this too. But just like real estate, some property cost more to maintain than it’s worth. But I still rather own than rent.

@Troy , if only that thread was in a book you would’ve read that the researcher wrote THEY ARE AFRICANS - maybe even from the first tribes that left Africa to begin migration across the world. And Yes, the researcher/journalist does cite some books - (in the thread) about why this group is hostile to outsiders. Read: it involves a pedophile/penis-envious british man who attempted to “study” the tribe back in the 1800s...(smh) According to researcher, who appears to be Indian, this particular group , the Sentinelese, remained on this island near India in the land mass now called Asia since their arrival - and that’s what was so fascinating! And even more stunning is @Pioneer1 always talks about original “africans” not originating in Africa but India and once you look at the photos - and read the scholarship presented...it’s enough to consider what Pioneer has been talking about these past months! -

@Cynique , this epiphany came after reading two twitter threads on the Sentinelese people who have survived on a island near India with little contact to the “modern” world. Two “twitterers” are expert in the history of these people - but until this week - their information was of service to practically no one. See here - A friend of mine said a while back, knowledge is NOT power. USE of Knowledge is Power.

I got nothing @Delano... Expertise is pretty much worthless. The value is in the use of the expertise, how it can be of service and most important, if anyone wants to use the service. For example, Mark Zuckerberg, Tom from MySpace, the guys from google (neither of who created the search engine) the guys who created youtube, Jack, the list goes on never claimed to be internet experts. Coding, maybe but from here it seems what they all have in common is expertise in human behavior. They all provided a service that millions of us didn’t know we wanted but now we use. The rest of us can complain about their creations. The bottomline -is they chose to create something and we can either use or not. End of story.

Again what’s relevant is the platform YOU USED to contact the writer... and the station. I USED AALBC platform (social media) to link the article that I got in my personal email. So, thank you again for proving my point.

@Troy you’re all over the place. Let me fix this for you. Since you mentioned GA elections in a previous post - I’ll use it as a guide. Here you go “ @Cynique, I don’t dispute the fact black people were rallying for Hillary Clinton - but we now know some Black voters were disfranchised in the 2016 Elections - a concerted effort made by unscrupulous GOP secretary of states that sought to suppress the black vote. For example a recent expose revealed the Secretary of State Kemp purged 1.4 million voter registrations (mostly in Black precincts) since 2010 We didn’t know then but as a result of more black people running for top state offices shed light on voter suppression in key electoral states. “ You, the point; never the two shall meet... TROY! You just admitted you used Twitter (social media) to correct the writer!

I rest my case.

I’m aware of Pew Research and read their reports too - I’ve actually linked some of the reports here. Although I don’t believe I used the reference to answer a question but rather to let others know SOME research is available However, @Troy this doesn’t answer the question. If you and I were the sample - it would indicate 100% of social media users read a mininum of 2.5 full-length novels and non-fiction books per month. Add in 3/4 of my list of twitter followers (authors) and those I follow (journalists, authors, directors, show creators) and that number could rise to 5 books per month. So please let’s stop assuming social media is an influence on our intellectual prowess or lack of it . It’s just another platform competing for attention. By the way, you can deep dive into cultures through social media too - and a lot quicker than reading one person’s personal perspective in a book. cultural information shared in real time and co-signed by others is far more valuable then an independent voice whose been edited down to appeal to the average audience. (Yes mainstream books appeal to the average audience) Coming full-circle, your rant against SM speaks more to the group of middle-aged black men that you say are invisible in media. Identity politics is an outgrowth of social media as it was an ideal platform to form alliances and advocate for their causes. You mentioned black men don’t use social media that way. Maybe this answers the question as to why black men don’t advocate for black women - Through your words it appears black men don’t collectively use any platform to advocate for themselves. Damn, now that I think about the last time black men got together was when Minister Farakhan called y’all to Washington in ‘95. !?!? oh snap!

Wild Fig Books & Coffee in Lexington, KY finds new life after owners raise $35,000 and convert the bookstore to a worker-owned cooperative business model. Read on | Source: Next City “Black-owned bookstores are making a comeback.

A member of the African Diaspora. Anyone of African descent?

@Troy How do you know they don’t? And even if they don’t, they are still listening to voices that resonate with them. How is that any different than reading a book? If they do read - they still choose the voices they want to hear. 2) The reason why I don’t identify with “lady” - is the same reason you wrote “ladies and Del” - You could’ve wrote Ladies and Gentleman (Del) but your use of attributive noun and Del’s name was deliberate. I find people use “Lady” for two reasons to show respect but really have no respect for the woman - or to suggest the woman behave in a way they believe a woman should act. I don’t call men “gentlemen” either.

@Troy 1. For the record, I identify by “woman” not “lady”. 2. Re-read the thread. There is agreement on respect and protection on an individual basis. No one is disputing that some black men are protective in their intimate relationships. BUT if you don’t ask, listen and seek understanding from those you say you care for then that’s showing disrespect. (With black women like me disrespect will get you kicked to curb no matter how great you think you are. ) 3. Back to the thesis. That was the topic in question - Full Stop. Glad you agree.

@Delano, (OFF TOPIC kinda ) I used your quote as an example of how our use of language - specifically how we use “gender” can be derogatory. “Polite” society no longer call black men “boys”- but in your usage to infantilize “Troy and NF” you reached for “girls” when “boys” would do. BUT Society as whole uses “girls” as a derogatory phrase - and some women use it when they don’t want to appear as “old women” It’s cute and quaint when women use it and it’s derogatory when men use it. It’s like Nigger/ Nigga . My intention wasn’t to call you out but rather to show how language can show lack of respect. ON TOPIC No, I didn’t get the sense you were speaking for me - It seems to me you raised an important topic like “climate change”... This one is currently part of the national dialogue because of 45. He weaponizes language - and he knows black women see through him but he also know the status of the black community. If black men organizations came after him after his outburst against the black women white house correspondents, they would have weakened him...catching him off guard. But not a peep. So thank you. I internalized the exchange- so not to think about it. This is better because now I can release it.

Calling someone “Girls” ISN’T name-calling ...unless you believe it’s derogatory! Now, if you read my statement within this context of how we use language; the statement shows lack of respect for women. And NO, the NOI doesn’t protect black women. i understand your reason for your tunnel vision. It appears easier to mentally cope with the message if you reduce the group to bite size pieces. However, respect and protection of a group doesn’t work like that. It applies to the whole group This topic is about how black men as a group respect, protect black women or the lack thereof. The answer is Black men as a group have failed to respect and protect black women. That is the current state of the black america. And black women who can, have moved on. So, as I mentioned to Nubian, I’ll also offer to you. “Carry on”. Stay in your mental safe space. By the way, black women would rather black men stand up in defense of black women... dying is easy.

And as I wrote there lies the rub. Ego massagjng. Well carry on.

And there lies the rub. Black men don’t want to feel like cowards. So not wanting to feel like a coward is the reason for all the back-patting regarding random chivalrous acts? I can imagine that the alternative is hard to mentally reconcile. Mindblowing actually. But imagine if black men didn’t make it about them - and actually did the heavy lifting of protecting black women. Black men failed once and that is how many black women ended up shackled next to black men in those slaves ships. Still, I don’t believe those African men were any less courageous than black american men today. They were outsmarted and outplayed and did what they could to survive - even if was at the expense of women and children. It’s similar to the environment today - but instead of fighting, revolting and uprising - it’s more of radio silence on issues that effect the most vulnerable in the black community. When women say things such as Hopkinson in that quote, and a whole host of women share the same reality they don’t care if black men feel like cowards. In fact that is the least of their worries. Have you heard of the me-too movement? It was started by a black woman Tarana Burke in 2006 because too many black and brown working-poor women were being sexually assaulted on their jobs that they couldn’t leave. If they didn’t acquiesce to the men they would be fired and eventually homeless with their children. This is reality for a lot of black women. Don’t be confused by hollywood giving their star power to help these women. Or let’s talk about the tens of thousands of underage girls right here in American being sold into sex slavery... So let’s be clear, we are NOT talking about individual acts of kindness and chilvary...It is rare for any man to turn their back on a woman face-to-face... I went to the bank today and didn’t open one door or have a man jump in front of me -BUT that’s not point. We’re saying COLLECTIVELY, Black men aren’t covering black women. We don’t care what any othet ethnic group is or isn’t doing. - the topic black men covering black women. There has never been a march, a labor strike or movement organized by black men to stop the violence against black women or children...or a march against “welfare reform” (@Troy) that effects women and children.. or even march to make sure black women who are raising children single-handled get childcare, equal pay / raise in wages, paid time off to care for sick children or even a time off for mental health days... Black Men as a group have never even asked black women (the collective) what we need to feel protected” - So, while a man may feel stepping up to stop a black man from beating a black women - is cause for celebration, I say NO. As an actual black women who fellowships with other black women, that’s a beautiful gesture and life-saving If it prevented a mercy -hospital type assassination of a black women ER doctor. But in the grand scheme, protecting a black women has nothing to do with a man’s ego... It’s ensuring that all black men have a future.