Mel Hopkins

@Cynique Your post communicates perfectly why I've been rolling my eyes since social media has all but put Oprah on the 2020 Presidential ballot. I''m embarrassed by how we, United States citizens, act as if we're extras in a television show. I'm still waiting for the fall of Rome because so far, I see the entire civilization continuously play out in my newspaper, social media and sometimes television (if I don't have it tuned to some fantasy show). I didn't watch the golden globe award show because I don't watch award shows...but folks being moved by an Oprah speech means we are truly controlled by mythology and storytelling. We fall for the facade of shiny things and really don't look for substance anymore. As much as I write about the benefits of an Obama Administration, I've never fell victim to his narrative. Quiet as kept, I never listened to his speeches either. I read them. This after I learned from a Chicago reporter, who covered him in early years, how Mr. Obama practiced his cadence until he perfected it to stir the audience. Anyway, I see the same in Oprah. She has goals and she achieves them. I admire that in her, period. But like the rest of the players, she has the hero's journey (monomyth) down to a science and people respond emotionally. Like you've written, she's the photo negative of 45*. Oprah was most likely tapped because "they" suspect 45* isn't the beacon for consumer spending. Nothing tanks America's economy faster than us holding onto our purse strings. If folks can't see how easily we're played then we need to revisit all 11 seasons of the X-Files

@Pioneer1 I didn't forget. I even wrote about it on myspace I called her move "hiding behind the penis"... OMG (It's 2018 and I'm agreeing with Pioneer LOL) You're correct Oprah was absolutely instrumental in his rise in the black community and yes the white community too... "Then he went on tour with Oprah Winfrey, whom he had gotten to know when she interviewed him after his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. " New York Times December 29, 2007 "A Biracial Candidate Walks His Own Fine Line"

Thank you! A public profile badge. In my iPhone favorites I have the little open book w/ aalbc.com logo whenever I see that logo I think of this website. I'd like that like a "proud member" of aalbc.com and of course it can have a link embedded within that opens a new page displaying my profile over here would be ideal - sort of like a linkedin public profile badge builder for the website .

I have a feeling many celebrate Kwanzaa but since it's not commercialized we don't hear a lot. For that reason alone I celebrate it by honoring it with my thoughts and words. I did a separate blog post for each day of Kwanzaa. It put me in a positive community-focused frame of mind to start off the year. I did the original post on my melhopkins.com website but I also copied and paste everything to theleadstory.org. Imani: Golden Rule Kuumba : The Chosen Ones Nia: Reasons Ujamaa: Until the Lion Learns Ujima: Yes We Can Kujichagulia Goal Minds build Gold Mines Umoja No Man's Land

Ok I get 1400 visitors per month on my theleadstory.org and 10,000 visits per month Two searches that are mentioned on semrush - is from the writers events from aalbc and prnewswire... a lot of my blacklinks (see what I did there lol) are from aalbc.com - there's more information relating to aalbc.com and personally I do my best to press the aalbc newsletters each month . I had to move the writers event widget to a separate page because I changed my theme...it's now in MOB News Here's what's weird, I don't even pay a lot of attention to that site but I will from now on. I'm not sure why I get that amount of traffic. One time, it was do to hacking attempts but the visits and visitors seems to be steady and growing... All this to say. @Troy can I have a widget that says my web site: The LeadStory is a proud member of aalbc.com please... : Also I know that 1400 visitors is a not a lot but I'll take it and grow it...

Happy New Year!!!

When I worked for Penguin USA and G.P. Putnam's Sons - I worked in Academic Marketing & Sales and Special Sales, respectively. Big 5 Trade book publishing houses don't just have A Marketing department, they have several marketing and sales department for children's books, Young Authors, Back List etc... Here's where I'l will post some ideas on ways to distribute your titles beyond bookstores and online retailers such as Amazon. If you think of some please include them too.. Thanks to @Sharon Wilson for reaching out and remind me! For starters: How about writing a grant for your favorite charity that could benefit from your book? This way your charity can purchase your book wholesale and distribute it to the stakeholders. Not only is your book bought, it's also distributed it too!

@Troy , What's revealed in this book relates more to courage. In the examples you mentioned, the risk taker has already made the decision . There's nothing to fear when you're in control. For example, no one forced you to bungee jump, skydive or perform thousand of somersaults. you made the decision. But God forbid, you ended up a quadriplegic (God forbid) - now you're no longer in control of your body - so how you continue through life displays your ability to be fearless/fearful. That's the book's motif - how we deal with the hand we're dealt. There are people who take those risk but crushed by the results. They display their fear in various ways that appear normal to the onlooker. It looks like self-sabotage. For example, a man who had one bad heartbreak but is now fearful to let himself be open to love is a display of fear. There are people who appear fearless but have a safety net to count on when walking the tight rope. Fear is very nuanced but both Greene and Fiddy tackle as many scenarios to make the point and arrive at the books intriguing conclusion. Even though I took a lot of notes I may want to revisit it again. (smile) You and Greene appear to agree. He said that he wants to punch folks in the face that say fear is innate. He seems to believe its a only a starting point or a fleeting emotion that anyone can overcome.

It is exactly what you posted up there... being courageous and the many ways we fail ourselves by being fearful. But wait I wrote a review when I finished reading it. From 2011 - https://melhopkins.com/2011/04/11/the-50th-law-thou-shall-not-fear-2/ Since finishing The 50th Law by Curtis “50-Cent” Jackson and Robert Greene, I’ve been feeling some type of way. If I had to identify the feeling, it would be an emotion ranging from vindication as in “I knew it” to one of frustration as in “when did I forget what I knew?” I'm jumping ahead of myself. The 50th Law is a multi-genre book. Its 304 pages (although my copy only had 291 pages) is divided up into genres of 1/4 history, 1/4 leadership, 1/4 self-help, and 1/4 memoir. If I were to summarize the content, it would be "Fearless-to-Free to be You and Me.” The latter being the title from the 70s soundtrack, telecast, and movement, which sought to do away with traditional gender roles. Almost 40 years later, the message resurfaces. Although it doesn’t promote gender neutrality, it is just as empowering. The 50th Law seeks to have us embrace our individuality to be the best we can be. This message is driven home by author Robert Greene providing an intimate look into the lives of historical figures and celebrities including 50 Cent. Greene illustrates how these iconoclasts embraced their individuality early on and without apology, which contributed to their professional and personal success. Embracing your individuality seems easy enough, right? It is if you don’t mind separating yourself from the crowd, standing out and apart. If it is easy why would the majority of humans spend their entire lives trying to fit? According to 50-Cent and Robert Greene “Fear” is why we so desperately cling to each other like sheep. And while “Fear” is the usual suspect, it is their answer to the “Fear of What” and the resulting solution that separates their thesis from those of modern-day philosophers. The answer is so thought-provoking it will have other readers “feeling some kind of way” long after they put the book down. I highly recommend “The 50th Law” to those who are ready to break away from “the herd.” Copyright (c) 2011 MH

1) Sleeping with a D-Man by Mel Hopkins The Princessa by Harriet Rubin The Art of Learning (Read it Twice) by Josh Waitzkin Instant Millionaire by (read it twice) Mark Fischer Transitioning From Employee To Entrepreneur : A Road Map for Aspiring Entrepreneurs : Marvin L. Storm The Art of Profitability by Adrian J. Slywotzky 50th Law by 50 cent and Robert Greene Testament of Solomon by King Solomon Indiscretions by Yolanda Hooks Buick The Footprint of God by Greg Iles Are You There God, It's me Margaret by Judy Blume Just Morgan by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Thank you! I really appreciate the exposure since I've decided to keep my books and short stories contained on my website.

thank you for Thank you for asking! http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/melhopkins I took first novel out of circulation but you can still find me there

First, this is a new topic so I didn't get notification. @Troy is possible to get a general notification from this forum? Also I do like the idea of proactive campaign -because it trains us in a new behavior rather than trying to break a habit...

and @Troy looks like there might be proof too... I got around to reading the links in the article and Louisiana department of education has adopted the high quality content standard. It appears the literacy standard is paying off in the lower grades... When we get back to basics - as you mentioned "Knowledge is the basis for understanding" they children learn.. Aww sookie sookie they are creating readers in Lousiana!!!

Yes, Jade is my oldest baby girl...

@Troy Ok finally read the article. I rarely like the leaps op-ed writers take in articles but this one is right on the money. He nailed exactly why children in the inner-city or in impoverished areas are being left behind. Educational budget cuts have chopped away at any additional exposure these children can have in an effort to become literate. Someone once asked me did I ever graduate college and if I didn't how did I as single mother manage to raise 3 college-educated daughters including one that graduated from one the top universities in the world and the other from law school... At first, I was offended because he implied that since he didn't consider me one of the "better-blacks" I was an outlier. Then I took a step back from being butthurt and realized I was an outlier due to the experiences my parents afforded me. My daughters are brilliant not in spite of their environment but because of it. My oldest daughter was born when most of people our age didn't have children. She became our mascot. And like a rag doll, all of my college friends, my mom, their moms etc took her to places that I couldn't. When I could, I took her on trips, such as to museums, art shows, dance recitals , lectures that I wanted to see or visit. For what would be the first grade, she tested into the LEAD program that New York City Public Schools offered in the 80s for the gifted and talented. Her Stanford-Binet IQ measured between 130-140. We left New York City and landed in "Byrdland" where the former Senator Robert Byrd funneled so much pork barrel money into the public schools that my girls got to participate in activities such as the very first Live from Mars where the mobile and wireless telerobot Sojourner sent back pictures of Mars in 1997. My twins were 6 years old when they attended NASA's Classroom of the Future, which was one of the JPL's satellite sites for the transmission. By the time my oldest daughter graduated high school - she was awarded a full ride scholarship to West Virginia University to study in their newly created program Forensic Science... This article is dead-on... When my children were born we lived a modest life but I gave them a wealth of experiences... In fact, I pursued a career that would allow me to give them richer experiences than their wealthier counterparts. It paid off too my middle daughter was admitted into Project Arrow (another gifted and talented program) in the 7th grade. By the time, the twins were in high school, I pursued another career that would provide them more opportunities. Whereas girls their age may have been looking for the latest club to hang out over a long weekend my daughters spent their weekends and holidays in Rome, Dubai, Tokyo and famed spots here in the U.S. In their Grammy award-winning public high school music department - they sat first chair with respective instruments, the flute and trumpet, in the School's band. All this to say, this article highlights the reasons why there's educational disparity between the haves and have-nots. Since I wasn't part of the two-parent- Martha's Vineyard in the Summer - Aspen in the Winter "better blacks" Crew...I refused to let my children suffer. So, I did one better; I sacrificed myself, took every handout and hand-up and used my talents to give my girls the world and Mars. I succeeded but If you're a single-parent with no help , working from sun up to sun down; how can you expose your children to rich experiences to broaden their knowledge base? When I went to public school we went on trips to the Hayden planetariums, Bronx zoo, Botanical gardens, Museum of Natural History, etc. By the time my first daughter entered public school, she was fortunate because only the gifted and talented classes went on field trips. Some say, street knowledge and the school of hard-knocks will help our children succeed but that's only useful if we want them to survive the streets. If we want our children to thrive, we must find a way to supplement their education with experiences that will provide a foundation for learning and critical thinking. Further, If we hope for a better education for our children we must elect legislators who will stop cutting the education budget.

Great response!!! I'll quote you, if i write a post for my blog.

@Troy , It's also nearly impossible to evaluate (know the value) of an unknown. I'm asking how should we handle those born into the assimilation stage of learning of an unrecognized talent/discipline/field? For example, my ignorance and inability could have stifled my daughters from advancing in a field of the a talent they may possess. Years from now they may be seen as late bloomers -because they had to educate themselves on the value of their talent. How do we help those in our community to stop holding back our child prodigies from greatness?

@Troy , I'm loving this discussion! Let's say a child today was born into the stage - BUT the discipline is unrecognizable to the rest of us.. We know what talent for singing looks like, math, even the natural sciences - but if there's a new discipline what happens to that gift? It's near impossible to nurture what we don't understand.

@Troy I think we're saying the same thing. Artistry in this respect means the person has moved through the learning stages much faster than the rest of us. Whereas most of us are at the assimilation stage of our endeavors - maybe by the time we're 25 or older ; these "artists" were at the assimilation stage at the age of 4, 10, or 13 years old . For example, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson were playing instrument, singing and performing live before they hit puberty. Maybe it's time that allows them to proceed to artistry stage. BUT the question does remain how do some fly through those stages... How does a Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin or Michael Jackson gain awareness of a concept and then just fly through the stages? How did I start reading at 2 years old and continue on to having a high reading comprehension. Reading of all things is not intuitive. SMILE doesn't look like a but I never got stumped by it... so not sure how it happens. I think this is where we get into the field of consciousness and our ability to connect to it. By the way, the etymology of Art is skill as a result of learning or practice.

Yes @Troy....that's what I'm referring to and because this law exist - and he as a nfl player (free agent) can grieve possible collusion. Maybe these owners didn't speak with each other - but that's why their phone records and other items were subpoena - if there's hint of working together to keep him out - they lose and will have to remedy the grievance. It could be money i.e., the salary he would have received if they didn't work to keep him out. It's doesn't necessarily mean he will play again. Normally this grievance would have been handled by the players association but since he's unsigned he gets to represent himself against the owners. This doesn't bode well for the owners because now the proceedings become part of public record. If it were labor union to management some of the information could have been kept private. The owners were foolish for not putting him on the reserve list and suspending him for a bogus reason. @Pioneer1 yes the owners can hire and fire whom they want but as long as they are a league with rules and regulations they can not violate them... In America, you can fire whom you want but if your reasons even hints at ageism, race, or sex or any of the protected class items ...you as an employer are going to lose in court period. It's not what you'd like to happen . This is not based on anyone's opinion, it's the law.

@Troy , Excellent summation! Spoken like a true educator! I read in "The Art of Profitability" by Adrian Slytwotzky there are five levels to learning. They actually match this pyramid too. There is (1) awareness, (2) awkwardness, (3)application, (4) assimilation, and (5) artistry. @Del analyzing the results of a decision will provide an understanding of how it was derived... In fact, that is how we get understanding each other. (well that is if we care) I tend to understand you, Cynique and Pioneer and I've never met you in real... I know you all better than someone I've just met in person - because I analyzed your comments (result of your thinking) and it helps me to understand the perspective you are sharing. It's also how I achieved fairly decent grades in math and science - I've worked through the results to understand the process. Knowledge is facts, information and awareness. One can give that to another - that is exactly the foundation of education. You can't give someone the ability to use that knowledge - that's on the recipient. We test on subjects in school to see how well they've used the knowledge... In other words have they been able to assimilate the information/facts into their understanding.

Another one of my hobbies is learning how to learn... I guess I should read the article before I make a statement but what the hell. I think the author is using knowledge and comprehension interchangeably... But according to educators., knowledge (awareness) comes before comprehension...

This op-ed is from South Africa but it could easily apply to us here in the United States... It's a long read but well worth it... WAKE UP!!! https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/2017-12-05-media-rules-society.-it-is-a-business-not-some-crusader-for-equality-and-justice/ Media rules society. It is a business, not some crusader for equality and justice 05 Dec 2017 01:12 (South Africa) Opinionista Sandile Memela Writers and journalists are employed and handled by supremacist capitalists to attack and denigrate Zuma’s government, to perpetuate racism and protect supremacist interests. The economic status quo must be preserved, at all costs. We writers and journalists rule the society. We are powerful beyond measure. Everything that the ordinary white folk and educated blacks know comes from us. We shape and influence the perception and control their thinking. Over the last 23 years we have refined the art of black bashing. It has become an art. Of course we are not objective, accurate or fair in what we write, how we portray black people, especially the Zuma government, ministers and the State-owned Entities. They make it easier for us with their tendency to score own goals. They commit sins and mistakes like all leaders everywhere in the world, including Britain, America and Europe. But you see, the thing with Zuma and his ministers is that they are black. There is an image about blacks that has been been created. We the media must preserve it. Blacks are incapable, corrupt and destructive. They are not to be trusted. It is our responsibility as writers and journalists employed and handled by supremacist capitalists to attack and denigrate Zuma’s government. That is what we get paid to do. Period. So when some smart-ass black intellectual alleges that we lack objectivity and are unfair, we pretend that we don't know what they are talking about. Worse, if they write and submit an article to that effect, with all the evidence, we cannot run it. We spike it, throw it into the bin. Remember what John Swinton, former Chief of Staff of the most powerful and prestigious newspaper on earth, The New York Times, when asked to give a toast to the “free press” at the New York Press Club, said: “There is no such thing, at this date of the world’s history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. “There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. “Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. “If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before 24 hours my occupation would be gone. “The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth; to lie outright; to pervert; to vilify; to fawn at the feet of Mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. “You know it and I know it and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. “We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. “We are intellectual prostitutes." That is the power of being a journalist, editor or owning the media. You use your whims to make decisions. You do as you are told. Look, they would be making a good point like the fact that “objectivity is a myth”. Few people must know that journalism is not a science but a trade. It is not even a profession. But we must present it as such. It is important to keep the mind – especially of white folks and the black elite – blind. Much as they have eyes, they must remain blind to the economic inequality, land dispossession, rampant prejudice and racism and the lack of compassion in society. When they look at South Africa they must not understand what is going on. It must be through the eyes of the media. We know that prejudice and stereotypes about Zuma, the government and black people in general are buried deep in the stories we write and the images we beam. We must be complex and sophisticated about how we do that. This is what we do as the media: perpetuate racism and protect supremacist interests. The economic status quo must be preserved, at all costs. How could it be any other way. We have some of the most talented writers to determine the national discourse in this country. They come with great titles for books. For example, What If There Were No Whites! This is hardly a neutral or objective title. But you have to understand that we have to promote black dependency. We must make whites seem indispensable saviours with the power to save black from themselves. The blacks must be treated as children. They must believe that they cannot do anything for themselves without whites. 1 Every educated black must be haunted by one question: are blacks cursed? This must become a rhetorical question. They must intuitively know the answer. After all, everything they read or write is subjected to our approval. We own publishing. Look, apartheid has done a great job to make blacks become irresponsible, ill-disciplined and uncaring, especially to their own. The good thing is that they have developed the habit of not doing things for themselves, now. Yes, blacks are incapable of self-rule. They must always be reporting to someone, especially from outside their group. Even during the days of the Bantustans – barren independent mini states – they could not make things happen for themselves. That was the idea: empty them of self-responsibility to depend entirely on whites. The magic bullet effect of the media was, intentionally, to turn black leadership and its elites into consumers. We fed them news and features that would make them aspire to be like whites. As you can see, now, their tastes, preferences, political beliefs, values, outlook, class and money are exactly like those of whites. The only criterion for black success and achievement is to live like whites. No matter what they achieve, their success and status must make them ngamlas, that is, whites in black skins. Most important, they have internalised prejudice against blacks and do not have faith, hope and belief in Zuma and his government. Despite their much vaunted Steve Bantu Biko and his Black Consciousness, we must empty them of self-pride. Blacks must neither trust blacks nor support each other. Well, it has been 23 years of so-called democracy now. The position of the white minority has not changed and must not change. The status quo must be preserved. In fact, the minority has become a majority simply because we have won blacks to our way of thinking and living. We have taken over their mind. This Biko was right when he said: the greatest weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. Frankly, that is why we killed him. He was no Nelson Mandela. The only black editors and journalists must be those who are on the side of supremacist capitalists. Yes, we must recreate and reinvent John Tango Jabavu, the founder of Imvo zaba Nsundu. Black media professionals, if we must call them that, must work for and side with the exploiters and oppressors. They must devote their time and energy to attacking Zuma and his government at every given opportunity. Even when he tries to speak in Zulu, we must immediately translate to hear his thinking. Zuma is not a president. We the media have reduced him to a commodity. He is what sells our products, that is, newspapers and books and radio talk shows. Look at how the most recent books are trailblazers. In fact, we want every white journalist and academic to produce a book on Zuma or any of his ministers and or government. The motive is to mould and shape how whites and the black elite view the ANC government. The latter must be crippled and forced into a coalition. By 2019, we want the ANC out of power. We have The President’s Keepers and Enemy of the People. They are the very latest sensations. Both are destined to do very well among readers as they confirm white prejudice: blacks are corrupt and destroying the country. If you are smart you will see the incestuous relationship between journalism, media and business. The one feeds into the other. But I will not amplify on this point. It gives too much away. However, we will defend any journalist who is threatened for whatever reason. We will wave court interdicts and demand freedom of the media and expression. We will reject and defy their right of reply. We will use that obfuscation to promote, protect and preserve ourselves and the legacy of our European ancestors. Yes, it was whites that introduced journalism into this society. Remember Thomas Pringle? As editors, journalists and the media, we do not answer to any man, including the president. We are a law into ourselves. For that, we must thank our white academics and intellectuals who have been mistaken for revolutionaries. They own and write ANC policy. But one thing that must be clear: this is our country. We love the flag. We love the country. Yes, we love Mandela beyond the grave. We designed and drew the flag. The rainbow (nation) does not feature the colour black. But yes, we must espouse nonracialism. Of course, you may want to know where black media ownership, editors, journalists and writers feature in all this. Do we have to discuss this? Those who know will ask: who do black journalists report to? Where do so called-black media owners get their money? We have to create the myth of independence and freedom for so-called black-owned media. The so-called independent black media gets its story ideas from us. We set the agenda. For a black journalist to be a hero, they must be seen to be fighting for their people. To be seen to be doing this they must, at every given opportunity, attack anything associated with Zuma and his government. This is what must occupy the minds of the black elite: Zuma must go! The good thing is not just that Zuma sells. It is that blacks spend time discussing and dissing him. They must repeat our lies to themselves. Thus they have no time to focus on anything else to take them forward. We said black leaders are their worst enemies. Through their mistakes and sins, they make things easy for us, feeding media stories. Take the book Khwezi, for instance. It is a piece of cake. The author is a great hero now. The perspective is not to tell the story of this black woman and how her family contributed to liberation struggle. Instead, Khwezi must be reduced to a rape victim. Her family must be forgotten as symbols of black resistance. This rape-victim perspective perpetuates the best image of the black man: a rapacious beast. This is not just about the black man who can't keep his pants zipped up. Anyone that writes such a story – black or white – will surely be rewarded with prestige, honour and status. Also, don’t forget who the judges are when it comes to media competition and awards. We the media owners pay for that. It is an investment. We the media simply do not believe in objectivity or truth. In fact, as owners we always want editors, journalists and writers around who will make us feel comfortable. All the better if they like playing tennis, golf or schmoozing at lunch. They must drink a lot – single malt whisky. We own this country and must protect our interests. We don’t want any militant black radicals with silly Black Consciousness or Pan Africanist ideas with whom we will have to watch our language. We want sycophants who will laugh or play deaf when we blurt out the dreaded K-word. Nobody should be offended by white racism. Well, most of the pioneers of Black Consciousness have been eradicated from the newsrooms. There is not and must not be a single publication or institution that espouses Black Consciousness. What we have now are bloody sycophants who do as they are told. The handful of black media owners are only interested in money. These are fine young men and women who know which side their bread is buttered. Most of the time, they are willing to sell... the soul of black folks. They are only interested in the false status bestowed by a picture byline and appearing on TV. Neither do they question authority. In fact, they have become part of a history and system they fought against. Above all, they too want to live well like whites with homes in the suburbs, children in white schools, double garages and English as home language. Biko is dead, especially his spirit. His peers have been sucked into the corrupt government. Nobody remembers that Biko used to write for a community newsletter. He was a people’s journalist if you like. But as for his BC comrades, they too love money more than their people. Money and what it can buy makes people forget history. The good thing is we have identified and employed proper blacks to run the media. We must continue to make sure they make the correct editorial decisions about how to cover Zuma, his government and black people, in general. There must be a negative story a day. Yes, rape, pap geld, violence, corruption. If not, feed them stories on celebrities in entertainment or sport. Even those who work for the SABC must share the white way of thinking. Their values and orientation must be to see the black government as an enemy of the people. Yes, the Zuma government and blacks in general must be seen as crime- prone and derelict. Every whiff of scandal must be blown up. There will be no stories of black achievement telling the Good News about the miracle of Nelson Mandela country. The man is dead. But maybe we are wrong or even self-delusional as white media. Well, people will have to tell us WHY they think we may be wrong. This was intended to explain why certain things happen the way they do. It is not a coincidence. However, this is not a defence for the white media agenda. It is a simple explanation for our new recruits. Well, as for the black media agenda... we wish some black upstart can tell us what is the agenda of black editors, journalists and the media owners. I think they too wish to milk the state. It is what it is. Media is a business, not some crusader for economic justice, equality, justice and to support calls for the return of the land. The business of business is business and business must be protected. DM Sandile Memela is Executive: Media & PR, SA Revenue Service (SARS). He writes in his personal capacity. He writes in his personal capacity. Get overnight news and latest Daily Maverick articles