Mel Hopkins

Wow! It's amazing how a repetitive message (programming) can even override the sensibilities of someone who has actually seen how the game worked for him. I suspect true fiscal knowledge isn't complicated. The Ponzi scheme we are expected to participate in, is complicated. smh

Troy, thank you for this thought-provoking review. I didn't bother watching the report although one of my Facebook friends posted it as must-see TV. Personally I learn more from the ruling class's entertainment on how to manage my money than I would from any CNN special report. I have to disagree with about post-slavery economic woes for former slaves. You of all people know that investing and saving is not the way to financial security and solvency - entrepreneurial activities are and have always been the way to become rich. If you look at how many West African people were awarded patents for their inventions post-slavery, you like I, would probably wonder why we start believing in the current bill of goods about saving and home-ownership. After reading that both Mark Zuckerberg and his former Facebook president and Napster creator Sean Parker both rent their homes it got my 20-something year old daughter and me wondering why they rent? We did an exercise which gave an overview of our home-ownership expenses. We pay a mortgage, property taxes, insurance, electricity, gas, and water. Let's say we pay off the mortgage - what are we left with? We will still have to pay property taxes every year for as long as we "own" the property. Let say our property taxes go up to 15,000 before I am able to apply for homestead to freeze it. Now I pay $15,000 plus maintenance, heat, electricity, water and insurance which totals about $20,000+ per year. My cost to live in "my" home is now $20,000 +. How does this benefit me? Well some would say I've built up equity. If I sell my home for $450,000 I really wouldn't have come out ahead or broke even, have I?. Nope, because most likely I would have paid more in finance fees. I'm not surprise Zuckerberg and Parker didn't run to buy a home with their earnings. Their businesses were their equity and there are more loopholes to get around taxes than there is available to sustain property. Troy, I can go on but black people are more slaves today than we were in 1864...at least then we wanted to be free.

Troy, What is the real crisis here? Is it single black men? Is it single black women? Is it lost black boys? No one for black men to lead? Is it black women in the workplace? Not enough black women willing to stay at home? Not enough wealthy black men? What is the crisis?

Oh my! I couldn't find any other Mels on this page so I think this was meant for me. I don't know why I would ponder this Are you assuming about things you do not know?

That was my point. There is no need to bring in theology in this discussion because it would not produce anything to bring us to a solution. I AM has no sex so why bring it up. As for feminism unless you want to talk about the equal rights amendment- I'm not sure what else there is to say other than the proposal has been in out of congress since I believe 1923. It has yet to be ratified.

One more thing...why is my picture so darn huge?

Troy, the only time I've ever been unhappy with a man is when I tried to control him and he didn't want 'ack' right lol. Seriously though, I don't know why some women seem unhappy. Contrary to popular belief, I've found black women to be some of the most submissive women in the western culture. I've seen women settle for men they know weren't right for them. I've seen women allow their men to beat on them, harm the children and even bring sexually transmitted disease to them sometimes resulting in fatalities in the worse case scenario. Therefore letting a man lead them can not be the problem. Everyone of my inner circle friends is either married or working on marriage number two or three. Personally, I've never had a challenge having a relationship with a man from any ethnic group. I did notice there was a bit of difference between having an intimate relationships with white men versus black men. After getting a divorce and until recently I didn't want a serious relationship. I perceived having an intimate relationship interfered with my definition of success and getting to understand me. Speaking of which maybe that is the challenge - not so much letting a man lead the household but rather having a woman in the household at all. I know in my travels and position as a flight attendant - I can't tell you how many men of different ethnicity have told me - I couldn't possibly be married because no man in his right mind would let me fly around the world on my own...I always respond "let me?"

Personally I didn't mention a christian god because the male and female sex are mutually exclusive of theology. Gender roles are a societal construct and independent of I AM. I believe in I AM and THE I AM that I believe in has no sex - for if I AM did - it would be human being and not worthy of any more praise than I give you or anyone merely because of divine nature contained within each of us. Using the judeo-christian patriarchal theological explanation of why a man should lord over a woman is no better than our ancient ancestors in Ethiopia and Egypt (KMT) (who came before the god of abraham) using the fact that since women can create life sans a man itt was reason enough why woman should rule over man. We were once one who became two...We dealt with that change and that had to be the biggest obstacle of all. So this societal change of men finding new footing should be a small thing to a giant aka humans. So as society changes men and women simply need to change with it. It is my belief that we are all embodied with Divine Intellect -therefore when someone moves the cheese - we needed to be able to seek it out. Those who can't will unfortunately get "LEFT BEHIND"

Sorry to read that some black men only know their role or how to lead if they can subjugate other humans i.e, women. That doesn't seem like leadership at all. If it was possible to lose those leadership abilities it was actually never theirs in the first place. For you can't lose what is yours by divine right. Further, this crisis you speak of, seems to be a challenge that afflicts the lower socio-economic class. This doesn't seem to be a challenge in other other western cultures. In other cultures, including the prevailing 'ruling class' it seems as though men seek out women who come from equal or higher socio-economic classes and standing in an effort to advance in this society. As for the equal rights for women side of this argument; the civil rights act of 1964 didn't actually give women equal rights but rather it made it illegal to discriminate against women in the workplace. The ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) proposal is still in the works and has been since 1923. So far ERA has not been ratified therefore it is still not law. Which brings me to this; there is an axiom in the military which is - in order to lead you must first learn to follow. It seems with the strides that women are making in the workplace, entrepreneurship, finance, family, education etc, sans having a man in the home, I believe we women have learned this lesson very well. For those men who are having a hard time finding their footing in this 'new age', I suspect it is time to follow the leader. AGAIN.