Cynique

The media sponsors televised debates and airs interviews and reports what the polls show. But they don't put words in the mouths of the candidates, and the outrageous things candidates are saying are what generates public interest and influences public opinion, IMO. Those running for office acquire supporters by saying what certain groups of people want to hear. The worst and most dangerous thing about this is that lying has been elevated to a new level and those who are caught in lies just continue to repeat them, counting on the strategy that if you repeatedly tell a lie, it begins to register as true in the minds of the people who want to believe it. Fact-checkers are having a field day debunking some of the falsehoods, half-truths and misleading statements candidates are making but it doesn't have any effect. The mindset of the electorate is becoming increasingly receptive to the idea of rejecting political correctness and embracing outsiders who don't represent those currently doing such a bad job of running things. Come election time it is possible that once inside the voting booth, people will come to their senses and vote for someone who is reasonably qualified to be POTUS. The Pope's wide appeal is a form of the mass hysteria.that is very easy to induce in religious people looking for someone to idolize and renew their hopes He was, indeed, like a rock star who attracted millions of groupies. And, of course, his visit was a historic occasion and many just wanted to be able to tell their grandchildren that they saw this world famous figure. The current state of America is inevitable. The turmoil and clashing of ideals is how things have evolved because the very diverseness that made up the great melting pot has now become an alloy of divisiveness. America will be tested in the coming months. What happens after November 2016 will determine whether this nation will pass or fail, whether it can put aside all of its differences and come together as one country. I tend to think ol steady, moderate, political veteran Joe Biden might be the best hope for this. We shall see.

Well, you can't tell the players without a score card. All I know is that I have a bad feeling about the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. The losers will not go quietly and the United States will enter the beginning phase of disintegration. The differences between Liberal Democrats and Conservative Republicans are too entrenched to be reconciled. The fall of Rome was not due to outside forces but to internal dissent. "A house divided against itself cannot stand". I sat on my patio last night and viewed the eclipse of the blood super moon. In this nation, the lunatics seem to be taking over the asylum and I found myself wondering whether what I was viewing was a symbolic sign of things to come. Will the earth's shadow blot out what the crazy people have created, and restore "normalcy" ??? The only problem is to figure out just who the crazy people are.

It's gonna be hard for Coates to reconcile this with the theories he expresses in his last book, "Between The World And Me" - unless, of course, the project hits a snag that he will find a way to attribute to racism.

Well, Delano, thinking about what the facebook poster said in regard to this, it occurs to me that any time is a good time for making changes in your life and setting new goals. The woman who dispensed this info is someone who reads tarot cards, and was more focused on how the phase of what is going to be another super moon, will have a positive influence of people's new aspirations. What do you see in regard to the presidential race in this country? The U.S. is not in a good place right now. There is so much deception and dissension. People have begun to gravitate toward leaders who reflect their prejudices and paranoia, and there is a proliferation of lies being told that literally take on a life on their own, almost as if they are energized by the ones who are telling them and who ignore challengers that confront them with facts. Religion has also been a divisive factor. People seem so hyped about god yet are hypocritical, and everybody seems to believe they know what god is thinking. I am very disgusted by all of this and am disappointed in myself for hating so many things - and people. It's terrible but the main thing I am working on is to just tune everything out and not give a damn. I no longer have any goals in life and I spend a lot of time pondering about life after death, not to mention wondering why I haven't "found Jesus" and what is the true nature of god and reality. Sorry, - got carried away. Which I tend to do a lot lately once I start writing about a subject. It's like my words feed upon themselves... The 3 numbers I am submitting to you are 7, 8, & 9. they are just random ones that came to mind.

Hi Delano, Soooo what is it I am hearing about it being time for a certain alignment of planets or phase of the moon to come into place by the end of September 2015? Something about this period being a good time for people to change their direction in life, or set new goals??????? I saw this mentioned by a couple of posters on FaceBook Have you heard anything about this?????

The circus that is currently passing itself off as the Republican presidential race is really making a mockery of American politics. SMH The front runner really needs to fold his tent and steal away into the night. All this egomanical mop head does is trump the truth, and he's not playing with full deck. Having said that, I find myself agreeing with The Donald's assessment of the only woman in this freak show. One look at the sour puss of Carly Fiorino and my immediate thought was that she'd be better qualified to audition for the role of the wicked witch of the north in a remake of the Wizard of Oz.. As for the persona Trump claimed he was referring to when he attacked Carly's appearance, this fugitive from Hewlit Packard's boardroom brought to mind the corporate disaster that she turned out to be, a stiff wanna-be who didn't let facts get in the way of her self-serving reprimands. And there, idling in the 3rd place poll position is brain dead surgeon Ben Carson, who would be better off diving into a pot of boiling water where he could develop into the new poster boy for Uncle Ben's Rice, rather than trying to keep his balance on the presidential tight rope. The rest of the acts in this two-bit road show need to line up and wait their turns to be shot out of the cannon. Of course, there, serving as the Barker, is the ubiquitous media, declaring the winners and losers in this farce, doing a dubious job of shaping public opinion. I don't know how any free-thinker could be impressed with any of these paid-for clowns. Whoever wins the Democratic nomination should become POTUS by default.

I meant to say Bobby Rush not Bobby Seal as being a former member of the Chicago hierarcy of the Panthers who later became a preacher and Illinois congressman who defeated Barak Obama when he ran for that office!!

Oh, I just noticed this letter. And it kinda confirms what I suspected, which is that different people have different perspectives of the Black Panthers. There's how the public perceived them, how the members perceived themselves and how ex-members viewed the organization they dropped out of. There won't be a lot of objectivity here. Of course, his heirs want to preserve Huey Newton's legacy, so they wouldn't be amenable to a movie that might possibly show him. - warts and all. However, I can't imagine a movie about this group that didn't consult Bobby Seale, one of the black Panther founders! And, I'm sure Huey's family can't be that satisfied with what Kathleen Cleaver might have to contribute, because after she and Eldridge split up, she exposed the abusive, misogynistic behavior the Panthers engaged in. I am certainly looking forward to this film.

I'm so sick of all the BS stinking up this world, that I'm ready to catch the next comet headed for another planet where the inhabitants are not in a contest to see who can be the most misguided. Hopefully, the supreme being, in whose image such aliens may have been created, will have done a better job than the supreme being who created Earthlings in his image. This would eliminate all the wasted time the faithful spend, vainly praying for terrible things to stop happening. America the beautiful? Not.

I've only read 2 on the lists; "Between the World and Me", by Ta-Nehisi Coates and "God Help the Child" by Toni Morrison. i don't read a lot of books any more, either. Sorry to say, very little fiction captivates my short attention span these days. An engrossing biography or documentary, however, can still pique my interest... . I've reached the conclusion that I am tired of living. There's so much about the world and the people in it that turn me off; I even get on my own nerves. I'm becoming a misanthrope. I hate that marriage clerk in Kentucky and everything she stands for, not to mention ALL of the Republican presidential candidates who fill me with disgust. I'm not crazy about Hillary and don't think Bernie or Joe Biden have a chance. There I go, digressing again. Nice new profile picture, Chris. There! I found something positive to say about somebody. Just being the dedicated person you are, is my positive thought for the day about you, Troy. ZZZZZZZZZZ

I just re-read this, and edited a misstatement I made. i meant to say I never had a black teacher. I always mention this because I wonder if this also had a subliminal influence on me.

The Black Panthers were the militant arm of the civil rights movement. They rejected non-violence but were basically demanding the same thing that MLK and Malcom were: equal justice under the law and the end of discrimination toward Blacks or - Negroes as we were also called then. All of these factions played a role in the struggle. And they all were taken seriously by the FBI. People rant about the media, the media, the media. But the Media made all the civil rights leaders larger than life and elevated them to places of prominence in history and pop culture. As an aside, it should be noted that during the civil rights era not all black people were dedicated activists. Only core groups participated in the much publicized sit-ins and picketing and marches. The average people, those in the barbershops,beauty salons, bowling leagues and social organization had their own opinions about their leaders and did not necessarily walk in lock step with everything they advocated, although everybody agreed on the common goal of racial equality. The black ministers in Chicago frowned on MLK coming there and stirring things up by demonstrating for open housing in hostile white neighborhoods. The Black Muslims and their stringent life style were not a popular movement although Malcom X was greatly admired because of his fiery rhetoric denouncing white devils. Yes, Blacks gave moral and financial support to the civil rights movement but activism was the exception not the rule. I, myself, registered my protests by utilizing the editorial pages of local newspapers, to whom I would fire off angry letters denoucimg racial discrimination. In the meantime, like the majority of Americans, I was sitting wide-eyed in front of the TV watching Bull Connor hose down determined demonstrators and sic the dogs on them. Or watching MLK deliver his famous "I Have A Dream Speech" with a lump in my throat. I cannot testify with certainty that my spectator experience was a microcosm of the black community at large during this period. I can just relate how it was in my environment and this environment was wide spread. In Chicagoland, the Panthers did not have a large enthusiastic following and Fred Hampton became more popular after he was killed than when he was alive. Fred first came to my attention when my niece was a student at the local high school, where he incited rioting because, as the black student enrollment increased, its members wanted more representation, beginning with a black homecoming queen. This dispute escalated and the school became a battle ground, which was put on lock down by the police. Around that time, Fred was president of the local NAACP Youth Council. But he eventually outgrew this tame group and moved on to the Black Panthers who were just coming into prominence. The white Liberal element in our hometown loved Fred because he was in the vanguard of the "radical chic" phenomenon wherein these sinister brothers in their black tams, huge afros, dark glasses, and leather jackets became the darlings of the bougeoise white cocktail circuit who held fund raisers to support "The Cause" because it was the "In" thing to do.. Today, the swimming pool at the local park is named after Fred Hampton who has become a hometown legend. I recall co-founder and ex-Panther Bobby Seale whose politics moved to the center, kinda deflating the image of the Panthers, himself, almost amused by their history. Eldridge Cleaver also became diffused and detached in his later years. Bobby Rush, who was a member of the hierarchy of the Panther's Chicago Chapter is now a preacher and Congressman from Illinois who, incidentally, defeated Barak Obama when he ran against him for this office. I'd be interested in hearing the real facts about Huey Newton who I have heard so many rumors about...

All i know is that I was around during the Black Panther's hey day. As I have mentioned many times, Fred Hampton the martyred Minister of Defense of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party which was located in Chicago, came from my home town. I didn't know him well because we weren't the same age. To me, he was a sincere person, skilled at spewing inflammatory rhetoric but as far as the party of which he was defense minister was concerned, its impact stemmed mostly from the threat local law enforcement perceived the membership to be - even if all they ever did of note was establish school breakfast programs for inner city school children and other ones who were enrolled in the schools the Panthers set up where the kids were taught to hate whitey. Anyway, to me and my associates, the Black Panthers were romanticized revolutionaries who we never took that seriously because we knew damned well "these niggas were not gonna overthrow the U.S. government". We did, however, like and were amused by how the Panthers shook up The Establishment, especially that psychopathic ogre, J. Edgar Hoover. When I worked at the Post office, one of my co-workers was a Black Panther sympathizer. He was very smart and quite militant and he told me the reason he decided not to join this organization was because they were paper tigers all on ego trips and their reach exceeded their grasp, He was more drawn to the SLA which blew up government buildings and robbed banks and killed cops. During that time, the Fruit of Islam arm of the Black Muslims were a force also to be reckoned with. Just my recollections.

I've always followed the caveat to not write about what you don't know. It has never occurred to me to write a book about anything but black people. I have no problem with inserting white characters into story lines because, for some reason, I feel like I know white people just from interacting with them all my life. They are not burdened with the double consciousness of black people who, in a white controlled world, have learned to skillfully adjust their behavior to mislead unsuspecting white people. With white folk, what you see or discern and detect is pretty much what you get. Of course, Blacks and Whites share human foibles and character traits up to a point - and then the race factors kicks in, at which time, Blacks become a dichotomy. I was around during the times when there were very few black writers to read, so I grew up reading both fiction and nonfiction by Whites. I never had a black teacher, and up until I was a teenager, all the movies I saw had all-white casts except for servants.To this day, I am still not sure how this influenced who I am. I do know, that in my heart, I've never wanted to be white. And all the white people I like, are those who are hip and have soul, and all the black folks who get on my nerves are twits who try to "act white". So, maybe I just like cool, well-informed people with good senses of humor whatever their color... Did I digress, - or what?

　I just finished "Between The World And Me", Ta-Nehisi Cates', recently released book which is written in the form of a letter to his 15-year-old-son and is, in a way, relative to the subject of this thread. I had read excerpts from this book as well as Cornel's West's review in response to Toni Morrison's recommendation, so I decided to see for myself what all the hoopla was about. Sorry, Cornel. I side with Toni on this one. I found this to be a remarkable book and I was impressed not only with its message but also with the concise writing skills of Coates who is a wordsmith extraordinaire. Coates' narrative centers around "The Dream", his designation for what he feels is at the root of white privilege. According to the author, the dream is a toxic state of mind that infects the ethnic pool of those who call themselves "white" and "The Dream" involves their deluded perception of America. Deluded because this oligarchic country is not the noble democracy they believe it to be but is, among other despicable things, an exclusive society where institutionalized racism is as American as apple pie. Which is why black people have no claim to The Dream, Coates contends, and even if they do all the right things and are fortunate enough to acquire financial gain, their white counterparts will still be better off since they belong to the elite club that automatically rejects equality for people with black skin. Coates further extends this entitlement to lower class Whites who he thinks are also better positioned than their black counterparts just by virtue of being white. To him, this status quo is maintained because money is the god in whom America trusts. and the bulk of it is in the hands of a white power structure which will keep it by any means necessary. Coates ends his book on a fatalistic note of resignation, implying that America's slave descendants just have to tolerate white citizens because there's no hope for their redemption, and things could be much worse for blacks. So, if Coates' pessimistic theory is true, the goal of becoming a latter day Horatio Alger, pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, is an aspiration that has restrictions when it comes to ambitious, hard working African Americans. To me, another take-away from Coates' dissertation is that in America, black and white history are intertwined and from the beginning to the present, the master/slave relation has continued to exist. Being black in America, whether literally or figuratively, is to be under the yoke of the White Dream. Another interesting observation Coates makes is that swagger and bluster and sassiness are defense mechanisms which black folk have developed over time in reaction to a deep rooted fear that has its origins in the other side of the white dream coin: the black nightmare. Coincidentally, (?) while reading "Between the World And Me", I just happened to come across an article on James Baldwin which included a quote from one of the essays contained in his book, "The Fire Next Time". Re-visiting James Baldwin, I confess to underestimating him. He was indeed, a sage and a seer. In a letter to his nephew, Baldwin wrote: "The really terrible thing, old buddy, is that you must accept them (white people) and I mean that very seriously. You must accept them and accept them with love, for these innocent people have no other hope. They are in effect still trapped in a history which they do not understand and until they understand it, they cannot be released from it." After finishing "Between The World And Me", another provocative quote by exisentialist Friedrich Nietzsche came to my attention. "To live is to suffer. To survive is to find some meaning in suffering." As Arsensio Hall, another great philosophical thinker, would say: "Things that make you go hummm." 　

Naturally, there are voices out there condemning the "black lives matter" movement for triggering the unprovoked execution of the policeman in Texas by a black shooter. Actually, the scapegoat should be mentally disturbed sociopaths who come in all colors, and anybody with an ax to grind and a gun to shoot can surface in the atmosphere of resentment and polarization that is smoldering in America. Likewise, as previously demonstrated by the shooting of the TV news crew in Virginia, the workplace is fertile ground for disgruntled nutcases with co-workers in their rifle sites; especially when race becomes an issue. So maybe the slogan adopted by frustrated activists should be changed to "black lives don't matter", and silently accepting the status quo will appease those offended by this rallying cry. Unfortunately, the dissent and the finger pointing will continue as long as those sworn to serve and protect convey the message that "black lives matter less"

You get a bunch of sistas together and the drinks are flowin, things will get loud. The sound of laughter shouldn't be that offensive to anybody unless it's disturbing their sleep. But, apparently, when it comes to tight-assed white matrons, they also prefer tight lips. White people love it, however, when black folks grin and make them feel comfortable. Black lives may not matter, but black laughs do - when they irritate Miz Anne. .BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. There. I feel better.

Well, everybody seems to be on the same page when it comes to defining and deconstructing social media and the people it captivates. The next thing is to analyse the nature of what some perceive as a problem. There are people whose actual existence is satisfying enough to keep them from being hooked on social media, and there are those who have "good things to say" about sites like FaceBook and Twitter and who are more inclined to consider their affinity for it as useful and fulfilling, rather than additive and harmful. Corporate media profits from giving such people what they want. Since fixing the "perceived problem", would involve telling people how to live their lives, this creates a dilemma. I'm done.

The video sends a message that is a familiar one and which enlightened me in no way. I'd be interested in hearing what the users have to say in regard to social media being their drug of choice. That would be informative. From my POV, social media and its components are a paradox that not only releases your true self, allowing you to key things that you wouldn't say in person, but let's you conceal your true self, hiding behind the facade of whom you wanna-be. It also provides a retreat when in the presence of people who don't bring out the best in you or - in them. So it's all about control and convenience. That's obviously a strong combination to resist, and a hard habit to break. Computer technology is like a Pandora's Box and all the woes that have escaped from it can't be put back in. The Millennials have inherited this artificial legacy, and the preceding generations are ill-equipped to cure what has also afflicted them. This is too bad. But there is the possibility that people interacting with each other, no longer insecure about being who they really are, will represent a mode of behavior that will come about as a result of things going in cycles of change. Otherwise, human life is doomed to evolve into a species akin to androids on a collision course with asteroids. In the future Planet Earth could get blindsided by a comet that would send it hurdling back to square one, providing the opportunity for a creative force to Bang out the dents and get it right this time. If, however, these missiles fall short, the electronic body snatchers will prevail and - nobody will know the difference.

Yes, female rappers couldn't whip the males, so they joined them. But I'm not talking about the performers. I'm talking about the general population of black women who suffered from the effects of being demeaned by the male gangsta rappers.

As usual, when it came to earning respect, black women fared very poorly in the musical revolution which Rap ushered in. They are still trying to get out from under the labels of bitches and ho's, still trying to change the booty shakin images that garnished Rap videos.. Where lyrics were concerned, Rap didn't reflect black womanhood, it shaped it in a negative way, and turned gullible young women into promiscuous groupies and abused girlfriends, eager to participate in the gangsta life. In a way, Rap could be deemed a necessary evil created by a society where art imitates life. But "evil" it was because in the process of exposing the sordid street life of the inner city, it glorified it. Rap made and continues to make millionaires out of street poets, but has done very little to improve the lot of the rank and file who relate to it.

From one "deviant" to another, thanks, Del!

Thank you, Troy, for providing a forum for sharing the thoughts that I really don't have a desire to express anyplace else, which is why I don't have a blog. Unfortunately it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to form opinions about what's happening in this dizzy world, and that's due, in part, to my dwindling concern about all the "dire issues" just waiting to become old news. Shit happens. That's life. You and Chris also deserve your props for what you bring to this site which includes your technical and professional expertise, not to mention your street smarts. And above all, your visionary gifts. Now I guess we can adjourn this meeting of the mutual admiration society.

Thank you for the greeting, Chris. Compliments coming from 2 bright brothers like you and Troy are really an honor. I never think of myself as an intellect mostly because I am not an academic. I just apply the common sense that comes with age.

You might find it interesting that when I re-read my post, the first thought that came to my mind was that I forgot to acknowledge that the life I described as living could be summed up in one word: "sheltered". I obviously led a sheltered existence, tucked away in a little Chicago suburb where my formative years were insulated by the apathy and naiveness of the 1950s. As time passed, and the protest movement became full blown, instead of taking the dive and getting in the swim, I stood on the bank and watched, and analyzed. I can only attribute this reaction to my core personality which tends to be that of a passive-aggressive individual. So on further consideration, I would not judge my black experience as being typical. Some of the things that were better back in my day were how schools were places where kids actually had a respect for authority and an appreciation for smartness, and teaching the fundamentals was a priority as opposed to elevating test scores. How a sense of shame still existed and a teen aged girl getting pregnant was not celebrated by planning a big shower equivalent to a sweet 16 party or how doing a stint in jail didn't give you "street" credentials. How pop music was romantic and dance-friendly, not the angry, profane accompaniment for booting shakin. How reading books was still a pass time and being a good conversationalist was an asset. And the absence of TV reality shows and their air-head participants. And how important the family unit was and how, indeed, a village raised a child, and beefs were settled with fisticuffs that ended with a handshake and perhaps a friend for life. How people took pride in a job well done and didn't have a problem with giving a day's work for a day's pay, just glad to have a job. How when it came to race relations, black folks voluntarily "stayed in their place" not so much because they were intimidated by white people but because their place was so much more fun and hipper and - better...Then there were the role models and martyred heroes. They were not murdered rappers or offenders with warrants whose resumes have to be sanitized. The police? Well, unfortunately, they have always been hard on Blacks as has the justice system. Most of all, how drugs had not ravaged the hood, and spawned an escalation of crime and violence. What's better nowadays is that the standard of living has improved thanks to the conveniences and technologies of the computerized age. Then there's the breaking down of racial and sexual barriers when it comes to certain fields of employment. I'm trying to think of more things that are better now but, - too much of what comes to mind are superficial things that have not improved the quality of life, just made shallow pursuits more accessible When it comes to politics and racism, the more things changed the more they became the same.