Cynique

Well, the second picture is a dreary affair, one big dark brown blur; a dress that is the same color as she is and lips muted out of prominence. She appears tough and masculine with her afro butch haircut and thick eyebrows; not a sista that a white person would want to mess with. A strong black woman. She even looks like she's gonna put her hand on her hip.and her smile is challenging. The only thing feminizing her is the inexplicably unnecessary display of cleavage. To me, the main difference between the 2 pictures is that she looks neater and more composed in the second one. ELLE Magazine is a French publication, so i guess that's how they imagine African American women want to come across: hard and no-nonsense. I do agree that, as an actress, it's acceptable for Viola to embody different personas and i am, personally, tired of discussing the subject because it's all about opinion and perception and not fact. Viola is "gonna do what she do" And TIME magazine is gonna "do what dey do", and "neer the twain shall meet".

This is just not true, Pioneer. You can't make the statement that no woman smiles like that because they do. Viola did. This is simply your opinion because her broad smile reveals the incisors that every one has and, in your view, she is grimacing. In mine, she is not! And where is it carved in stone that dark brown and red clash!. They actually don't! The complement each other. Red and and dark brown are regularly found in fabric prints; Wearing a dark brown skirt and red blouse is not an example of clashing.A red tie with a dark brown suit, either. You are simply brainwashed to think this when it comes to dark women and, as usual, you are generalizing. And to say that a photographer was standing around waiting for Viola to smile broadly is ridiculous! i am not under the impression that this picture was taken specifically for this TIME article. i think it was an old picture that they already had in their files. Once again, i say, that you want black people to dress to impress white people; you are stuck in a "negro" mindset circa 1950, and want blacks to be carbon copies of white people. If a black woman is secure enough to tie her head up in a handkerchief, then more power to her! Just because Aunt Jemina brings to mind slave days, does not mean it is an inaccurate image. She's of another time and place and was what she was. @TroyI think the book is racist because it inadvertently reinforces the idea that slaves were happy people who loved and wanted to please their "massas", a myth that lets white people off the hook. BTW, Why do you say that picture of Viola is not natural. Very few women of any race go without make-up or wearing their hair styled or colored in some way. and if you think Viola wearing make up and her hair in a style other than an Afro is unnatrual, then i disagree. I have repeatedly referred to this picture as a candid shot, a true depiction of how she looked at that moment.

@Pioneer1 The answers to both of your questions is "yes". I am not a feminist and if a man wants to honor and show his appreciation for me, i am not offended by this.

Some people are not pretending to be of the opposite sex, they genuinely know they are trapped in a body that does not coincide with who they really are. The profession that once diagnosed this as being a mental illness now says it is not insanity. It's a fluke of nature. And to accept this is to "live and let live".

Oh, puleeze. Can we find something of substance to gripe about when it comes to commercialization? Ask mothers if they have a problem with a special day being set aside for them where their children send them cards or buy them flowers or take them out to dinner? Ask girfriends and wives if they don't want to be sent flowers or cards or candy on Valentines day? These are long-standing demonstrations of love and thoughtfulness which marketers have enabled rather that exploited. and there is no harm done by this. As for wedding rings, their tradition dates back centuries before slick marketers came on the scene, they have always been regarded as a token of love by the women who receive them and the more expensive the ring, they more regarded a woman feels because that's the way women are. But few women are really disappointed by a plain wedding band, if she is in love with her groom-to-be. Just so long as it's real gold or that whatever size the diamond is, its a real diamond. The average joe doesn't pay cash for a wedding ring because terms are available and they can manage the 3-month salary rule because it's spread out over a period of time.

Meryl Streep and Viola Davis are reportedly very good friends. What keeps sticking in my craw about this debate is that there are millions of black women who look like that picture of Viola Davis. Her flawless complexion is dark brown, she has a very good set of teeth, she wears red lipstick and her hair is in a style that sistas have been wearing for at least 75 years, dating back to the days when they hot-combed their hair and put it up in curlers. Why do y'all think that this is a picture that blacks should be offended by and that to picture a black woman in this pose is racist. Seems to me all of you are a part of the problem, not the solution because you think black folks should be portrayed as perfect rather than natural because you, yourselves have adopted white standards and are ashamed of your own people, - unless they are wearing their hair wild and spiked or in ropes of synthetic extensions. I would like some specifics as to where TIME tampered with this picture?

Thank you, Harry!

This is just something i want to share along these lines. About 5 years ago when i would've been about 78 years old, far past the prime of my life and at a stage when I should've been filled with a modicum of wisdom that comes with age, on a bright summer morning after taking a brief stroll around my quiet neighborhood, I ended up standing in my driveway. There was not a soul in sight, just a few birds flying around and flowers blooming and ants crawling and a soft breeze stirring. While standing in the drive way with my back to the sun i looked down and saw my shadow; a perfect silhouette of "me" and what spontaneously popped into my head was that I exist, brought to this realization by seeing what was visible when I blocked the sunshine and cast a dark outline of myself. To me, this was a revelation and maybe even an epiphany that took 3 quarters of a century to hit home. and confirm what i believe about the truth being right before our eyes, just waiting to be discerned. Also, when the subject of the Akashic records came up here, this struck a familiar note with me Why, I don't know, but my memory of the past sometimes fails me. Finally, I looked back into my saved files and found a wealth of information about this subject stored there, much of which seem to speak directly to me. I don't know how this information got there, but it came from somewhere and I was so fascinated by what i read that I am going to embrace its message and experiment with what it suggests. Love, Truth and Light were the guide words in this material, and, in my waning years, truth has been foremost in what i have been seeking, Now i am inspired to include Love and Light in this quest. I also find it sobering that my keyboard doesn't seem to want to capitalize "I" and it often comes out "i" which i have been correcting, But now i think i will stop correcting it. Maybe this is the Universe's way of reminding me to keep myself in perspective when it comes to the big picture. My health is failing and i think the Akashic files i unearthed were meant to be found by me so i can understand my purpose before i shift into another plane.

@Pioneer1Watta crock! I don't even know where to begin. First of all, Who is that a picture of on TIME's cover??? Viola or Wanda? Is it a drawing or a painting of her? Or a candid, untouched photograph that captures the way Viola looks when she grins broadly instead of when she is formally posing and professionally made up, well-coiffed and air brushed! You are simply expressing a subjective opinion when you say she is grimacing. And the more i look at that picture of Viola, the less bad I find it, once I divest myself of preconceived notions. You don't know what your talking about with all of your generalizations about black people, You are fixated on black people all conforming to your 1950 model of the way they should look, act and dress because you are afraid of how they will come across to white people. And you stereotype your own race, with all your drivel about cocoa butter and vaseline. You also never take into consideration that slave descendants are hybrids and you can't apply a rigid set of standards to them when it comes to their physicality. Or can you conceive of the idea that every criticism you make about black women is also true of white women, who come in all types. Black women aren't the only ones who wear unflattering makeup and clothing or who have oily or dry or pimply skin or who are overweight. And there is a female paragon that all women aspire to, not just black ones and all women are trying to emulate it. That's why white women are so into plastic surgery and losing weight. In putting down black people you ignore how black people are also considered style setters. Many white people envy the mystique and swag of black people. And your statement that I kept talking about the different ways black women wear their makeup is false! Lipstick is just a component of make-up and all i said was that they there are different shades of lipstick and black women wear them all. TIME magazine, in its systemic racism, apparently thinks that black people are at their best and most typical when they are smiling broadly. So they didn't think Viola was grimacing. it's all in the eye of the beholder.

@Pioneer1Just goes to show how differently people see things. No way in the world does Viola look to me like she's grimacing. She is not frowning and looks surprised and happy. Your theory about red lipstick is ludicrous. Red is not a substitute for, or a reminder of pink. Pink comes in different subtle shades and is worn more by white and light-skinned black women more than red, because pink is a soft feminine color, while red is brassy. Raspberry or wine shades are the color most dark-skinned black women prefer but these shades are also just as popular among white women because they are exotic. Black women of varying brown shades can wear any color makeup they choose because brown is a neutral color. So you cannot generalize about black women. Also the shape and size of lips are a factor. Red lipstick is in a class by itself, and women wear it for many different reasons. Sometime because they just like the color red. Also women are just as focused on impressing other women as they are in attracting men. Exuding sex is not always their goal. No healthy vagina is bright red and I doubt if women even consciously think about trying to replicate their coochies on their face, especially since a mouth full of teeth come with their lips. But if a white man wants to be reminded of a white woman's vagina, then pink lipstick is the better choice. Tight or revealing clothing is more suggestive than make-up. Of course there are women of all races who have natural beauty and who can get by with little or no make-up. Make-up is not a subject that is even relevant to race because women of all ethnics can abuse it or skillfully apply it. BTW, white women who embrace the Goth culture wear black lipstick and fingernail polish.

This could be considered an unflattering picture of Viola. But it is an untouched candid photo of her taken taken at some time on some happy occasion of her life. And millions of black women look like this. The idea that dark women shouldn't grin or wear red lipstick resonates with Uncle Tomism. Implicit in this caveat is that black skin should be muted by dull colors so as not to draw attention to it, and this is a form of self-hate. Nowadays black women wear their hair any style or color they want and many are not hesitant about celebrating their lips with bright red lipstick, no matter what their skin color.Welcome to 2017! I, myself, hate dread locks and spiked hair that looks like its owner stuck their finger in an electric socket, but I realize that it's a new day and standards of "beauty" have changed and are in the eye of the beholder. TIME's selection is only racist if black people buy into the idea that black women who look like Viola's picture are someone to be ashamed of and ridiculed. To ignore TIME's blatant slave master gesture is to thwart their contemptuous mischief. At a recent awards show, Viola sported a bright yellow gown and noted that there was a time when she wouldn't wear bright colors because of her dark skin but that she had moved past that negativity and was now proud to finally accept herself as she was and wear whatever color she chose. She was also wearing red lipstick when she said this.

I've been thinking about how I think and I'm not sure. I will say that I am always challenged by people who confidently assert something, and my first impulse is contradict them with an alternate possibility. I am a natural polemicist and an inductive thinker, which is why I anticipate what a person who disagrees with me would say and I am thinking of how to respond to their rebuttal even as i am trying to get my ideas across. My main shortcoming is remembering something I have heard somewhere and including it in making my point without being able to back it up with references and hard facts. So this can make it easy for someone to tell me that I don't know what i'm talking about. LOL. In being a truth seeker, my perspective is always about the big picture and the overview because I think people get caught up in their own little worlds. I am also a cynical old broad who used to be a skeptical young chick. Debbie Downer. Below are my observations about the thought processes of you 3 guys, and they are observations not criticisms. They are what make you all uniquely yourselves. Del assumes you know where he is coming from and is spontaneous in his comments which are often out of context and are, therefore, confusing. He is also mercurial but this contributes to his being flexible in his positions. He seems self-aware and sensitive, a versatile thinker comfortable with both science and spirituality. Troy subconsciously uses the power of persuasion in his arguments, assuming that what is as "given" to him is a "given" to you - until you snap out of it.LOL He borders on ennobling himself because he always takes the high ground and although he sometimes takes on the role of the victim, too, he is very convincing in justifying his grievances. A great technical, resourceful mind complemented by a winning personality With Pioneer, he is very opinionated and often backs up his opinions with specious arguments that, if not necessarily factual, are at least interesting and provocative, - not to mention long-winded. A well-read, unorthodox thinker with a sly sense of humor. I enjoy sparring with all of you. You make my life more interesting because I don't get a lot of mental stimulation in my day-to-day existence that includes scrolling up and down FaceBook..

For what it's worth, our girl Leslie Jones as well as Academy Award winner VIola Davis both dark-skinned women were among the black people who made TIME Magazine's 100 most influential list. The wild natural hair style worn by the woman of color in this commericial makes up for skin tone an kills two birds with one stone, reflecting black and mixed.

Back in the day, the CHICAGO THEATER located in this city's famous loop district was not only a place where movies were shown but where artists would perform live on stage between pictures, and this is where I saw Count Basie and Duke Ellington and their orchestras also Nat "King" Cole and Billy Eckstein who I forgot to mention. . Charlie Parker I saw at a black show lounge on Chicago's south side. He was in decline when I saw him, and it was obvious he was high. People like Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Sara Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae just to name a few, would appear in Chicago's loop at intimate little jazz clubs where you sat at tables, and smoked and drank, but never danced. The first Playboy jazz fest, was held in Chicago's Civic Opera house and was a 3-day extravaganza and this is where I saw Ella, and Billie Holiday, and Dizzy Gillespie who I also forgot to mention.There were too many greats at this affair to even list. The only place where I'd dance would be at the local America Legion Hall, where they'be be playing R&B And Blues music. We'd be doing the Bop, the Twist, the Watusi, the Funky Broadway, the Bump and the Chicken. By the time the Running Man and Twerking came out, I'd retired from the scene. I did try and keep up with line-dancing for a minute but every time i'd learn the latest one, a new more complicated one would come out. Now I am a content to just watch. The Jitterbug was still popular when I was in high school and we'd do it at "Quarter" parties, held in basements. Fun times.

LOL Prince concerts are the only ones I attended in the last 30 years. I've never been to a Michael Jackson one. Back in the late '50s and early '60s I saw several jazz artists performing at small night club venues and quite a few of them at a Playboy Magazine jazz fest. Charlie Parker Miles Davis Dave Brubeck Max Roach Sarah Vaughn Ella Fitzgerald Nancy Wilson Duke Ellington Count Basie Joe Williams

@TroyEvery group thinks its lifestyle is the preferable one. Primitive people probably think their simple way of life is better than what "civilization" has to offer. I don't think modern society condemns what's primitive. It thinks it's quaint and should be preserved and observed. And do we really know that "being rich does not make people happy and that many poor people are happy"?? This is just a platitude. An updated examination of that rationale says that money can buy happiness because it enables you to decrease or eliminate what keeps you from being happy. Few people are content living in poverty and it certainly has an impact on struggling black people. The preferred choice between being affluent and being indigent is a no-brainer. And I don't think technology and spirituality are an "either/or" situation. They can co-exist in a society where compartmentalizing is common. The conveniences of technology free up time for introspection and leisure. Also, young people are in the forefront of saving the Earth and following Vegan diets, or are they deeply into conventional religion.

@TroyJust as you had a problem with me calling Native Americans "primitive", i have a problem with you using the pronoun "we" when it comes to capitalism, as if "you" and the rest of black people have a say-so in whether or not Capitalism is perpetuated. LOL Because you are an idealist you always come from a position of how things should be instead of how they are. The human race gives lip service when it comes to the evil of exploiting people but the greed gene dominates. The quote "I've been poor and I've been rich, and rich is better" has been attributed to several people, all of whom it applied to, and its message resonates everywhere with everyone. When it comes to the German people who are traditionally very nationalistic, their resentment against the Jewish bankers who were exploiting their economy already existed. Hitler was telling them what they wanted to hear and they showed no inclination to rebuke him. (Just like Trump and his followers) Black people who, as you would have it, are another form of the human race were exploited because the white form of the human race had no qualms about using blacks for their purposes. Human beings do inherently exploit each other to some degree because doing so improves their own lot in life. IMO And, yes, the Native American simple spiritual approach to life is an acceptable alternative to our present superficial, materialistic computerized society. This is not a revelation. Most people would find merit in this assessment. @Pioneer1 I just calls 'em, like I sees 'em. I find points of agreement and disagreement with everybody who posts here.

@Troy I'd read the book recommended by Pioneer before I condemned it and I'm surprised at your reaction. I don't find it unreasonable to believe that Native Americans, who were primitive people, fought fire with fire and engaged in atrocities against other tribes and white settlers. Yes, the "Nobel Savage" is romanticized as an ingenuous people close to nature who learned to live in harmony with the earth and smoked peace pipes and revered the buffalo, and communicated via bird calls and tom-toms and were brave wasrriors, but they were also human and no human group is all good with no bad. Whether they were all good or all bad is beside the point. They were here first and were driven off their territory by white people who did terrible things to them. It's the nature of the beast. The strong prevail over their adversaries by any means necessary. We're always hearing about the great civilizations of Africa and all the things they introduced and invented. Are books about this ever written by anyone other than black people? And why didn't these great African civilizations, who sold each other into slavery, last? Because they weren't great enough to stave off the onslaught of great white marauders with guns who sacked and stripped Africa. There's a difference between "great" and "good". As for slavery days in America. The masters knew how to maintain control by dividing and conquering. Slaves with higher status could always be depended upon to betray their lesser brothers. For people who knew no better, house niggas were proud of their rank. We know that history is written by the victors and truth is the first casualty. But one truth endures and it is that "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

No, the 3 stages of life meme was not original. I came across it, and it made me laugh out loud. And that was a good thing. Life is a joke you just have to catch on to. Maybe.

I discovered late in life that I am an Existentialist and didn't know it. The 3 Stages of Life: (1) Birth (2) What the fuck is this? (3) Death

By virtue of being a crook, Donald Trump rescued himself from failing businesses by declaring bankruptcy and is probably indebted to Russia and maybe even China. He is foolish. As president he is an uninformed wind bag, a thin-skinned narcissist who blames others for his mistakes, and an irresponsible liar drunk with power. His Twitter tweets are often incoherent and contain misspellings. He gets over ,not because he is shrewd but because he is a sign of the whimsical times when flukes flourish and everything is haywire. Nobody was more surprised than him when he won, - by virtue of being at the right place at the right time and the beneficiary of the peculiar electoral college. ( His Press Secretary is pathetic as are his Secretaries of Education, and of Housing and Urban development, just to name a few.) He is humored by others around him who perceive that Republicans are "on a roll", - again because of the dynamics that have capriciously been brought into play because the world has become skewed, the tide has turned and some would even attribute this discombobulation to the configuration of the stars. Whatever. And I didn't say Corporate America or the Government who was in power during the Hurricane Katrina or the Flint, Michigan disasters were fools. Callous, yes, but not fools. Black people may be responsible in part for their own problems but let's just say that, from the very beginning in America, they got off on the wrong foot.

None of those working for United Airlines will be fired over this incident. They were all following protocol and were not trained to deal with such a situation. Furthermore, no fellow passengers of the victim seemed to strenuously object to his being dragged off the plane. Many were probably thinking they would've accepted the cash offer to leave and take a later flight. Pardon me if I am not up in arms by what happened to the obstinate doctor with the shady past. Asians and Muslims in America don't give a damn about Blacks or their grievances. Pardon me if I return the favor.

Is it any wonder that I am a pessimistic? What is there to be optimistic about? "Man's inhumanity to man is what prevails in this god-forsaken world were truth is a casualty, and equality a myth. The rich get richer and the poor will always be with us. Have a good day.

Well, obviously all frustrated black men with axes to grind don't go around killing people. They are stable enough to cope and take things in their stride, managing to survive by balancing the good with the bad. Studies are now showing, however, that both black and white males are struggling with feelings of inadequacy, haunted by a fear of being ignored and of losing their status as the "stronger sex". The danger stems from the misfits of society, - those afflicted with personality disorders. Too many men are ego-driven and self absorbed, unable to deal with rejection because of their inflated self esteem. (Rich and famous, white Bill O'Reilly comes to mind.) But I wouldn't deny that black men are prone to being neurotic. Most can't win for losing and it's difficult for them to rise above their circumstances. Still, they haven't forgotten how to have fun and enjoy themselves.

Well, the problem with the "being treated like a fool is the result of acting like a fool" caveat is that is does not apply across the board. The most visible, blatant example of this being President Donald J. Trump, a rich white capitalistic crook and clueless buffoon who regularly makes a fool of himself on social media and the world stage. He and the fools who elected him have been rewarded for being fools. Fools are now running the country, with their fake news and saber rattling and those who act with propriety are so intimidated by these fools that they embrace the role of victim because that's what they are inasmuch as they have been stripped of their power. It's easy to come up with pat little phrases and use them to generalize. But there are always extenuating circumstances that can't be ignored. Black people have a built-in victimization that comes with the color of their skin. White people who have integrity will act in the best interest of all for the greater good. Those who are unscrupulous and want to be in control don't give a damn. And their numbers are legion.