Cynique

in other words, there are a lot of "dumb niggas" out there. OK, if you say so. I tend to believe that black people recognize how the media manipulates black images, but since they identify with the caricatures, they opt for being entertained rather than being enlightened. I'm curious. Do you visit social media sites? You can learn a lot about the black mentality on them. You can also observe how bad blacks talk about the white media.

@Pioneer1 Sometimes things elicit chuckles because they are just comical. The skit was not slapstick, or corny, it was a lampoon. Does race always have to be injected into everything? Pushing the envelop about controversial issues is SNL's specialty and they spare no ethnicity. As for Hollywood casting attractive white female movie stars against unattractive black ones, puleeze. With a few exceptions like Whoopi and Leslie and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), there are no unattractive black movie actresses.These women make it into the movies because their looks have appeal.Only in all-black movies do homely black character actresses appear. In this day and age, the average black person has figured out that black images are manipulated by a media that reeks with negative subliminal messages. But there are always people standing around pointing this out, underestimating the intelligence of other black people who have enough common sense to discern this for themselves. Recognizing the ulterior motives of white people is in the DNA of black people dating back to slavery when they rolled their eyes at their clueless white masters. But then as now, they lack the power to deter racism. Leslie has chosen to capitalize off her boisterous black woman character just like white women capitalize off the dumb blond stereotype, and Mexican women do the same with the fiery Hispanic drama queen. That's show biz. And life.

I said it is the GOAL of the Dems to do the greatest good for the greatest number because obviously this needs to be done, and the idea that this is a country where one of its political parties strives for this, in their minds, is what makes America "already great". Everybody has figured out that Trump attracts the discontented, and the discontented don't like the way things are because being politically-correct cramps their style and generates their resentment.They want to continue to be racist, homophobic, misogynistic, fascistic, gun-toting, blue-lives-matter, Christian hypocrites. The poor whites who Trump attracts in great numbers are so racist and anti-liberal that they faithfully vote Republican, the party that is against their best interests. They are their own worst enemy, not Obama and the Dems whose efforts at reform were blocked by the Republican senate. This election is fraught with emotion and misconception more than truth and reality, and is obviously a reflection of the country at large.

That satirical skit was funny. And, I don't think anybody has to justify their preferences when it comes to a mate. The old adage of beauty only being skin deep was probably made up by an ugly person. Furthermore, some people are comfortable with dumb mates because it makes them look and feel smart. Different strokes for different folks.

Does Trump have a plan for alleviating the woes of the middle class???? And just how would Independent Bernie have accomplished anything he promised considering the Congress he would be dealing with? And why is Hillary beholden to the Oligarchy? What will they do to her if she distances herself from them? Hillary detractors, blinded by their hate, are equally guilty of spouting a lot of patented rhetoric, never giving her credit for anything. Trump supporters may not be stupid, but they are, at the core of their hearts, racist. When Dems say America is doing great, their goal of doing the greatest good for the greatest number is what you can take away from their convention. When Trump placated his followers by bellowing that he wants to make America great again, this is a code phrase for saying he wants to reverse all the progress Liberals have foisted upon them, and return to the good old days of racism, homophobia, misogyny, fascism and Evangelical zealotry. I still say, the state of the economy is what will determine whether a person will be affected by the election. Losing a job or finding one has a great impact on the lives of the rank and file.

@TroySo if Bernie had become president, would the country still be run by the "same people" who are running it now? Would he have become neutralized and crippled by this cabal of evil white men? Would his presidency have been anything but a folly?? Hillary Clinton has all the money she'll ever need in life. What does she have to gain at her age by selling out to the one percenters?. She is power hungry, yes, but I tend to think that she wants to exert this power in a way that will enable her to go down in history as the woman president who fixed America. The infra structure of this country is deteriorating and the climate is wreaking havoc. This situation is the key to creating jobs, and industries. Clinton at least has a plan to improve the economy which is the holy grail of a stable nation. America is a "great" country but is not a "good" country". It is great by virtue of being the best of the worst. And its goodness is lacking because huge numbers of its bigoted citizens are petty, greedy, xenophobic, fascistic, religious hypocrites who are the constituency of Trump. Humans are not necessarily humanitarians. I continue to believe that those smug vindictive people who are mired in the past and who plan to sit out the election or vote for either Trump or an independent candidate are so immersed in their pseudo noble principles that they are willing to cut off their noses to spite their faces, all because they want a saint for president. The Supreme court needs a liberal majority to keep this country from reverting to the past and this calls for a Democrat POTUS Whatever the outcome, in November, Americans will get what they deserve.

Except where employment is concerned. Employed people's lives will be changed if they lose their jobs due to the economy and unemployed people's lives will be changed if they find a job due to the economy. The President, along with the advise and consent of Congress, is instrumental in the state of the economy. FDR certainly was during The Depression..

I have never awakened every morning asking who am I? Because I know who I am. I am me. I function in the immediate sphere of my existence, and I have carved out my own identity. I would really be interested in reading something that analyses why I have this mentality.

@Troy "We"? What "we" are you talking about? Not me, or millions of other Americans who aren't trying to "elevate Trump to the presidency". I think it's more accurate to say that political correctness spawned Trump, and widened the gap between all the disgruntled right wing Conservatives and the progressive left wing Liberals in this country. The polls show Trump and Clinton are neck-and-neck, so there is no clear consensus. After watching the Democratic convention which was saturated with blacks and all the other special interest minorities in this country whose representatives were preaching to the choir when giving their speeches and therefore not making any outside converts, I don't think either candidate will win by a landslide, The election might very well be contested by whomever is declared the loser and all hell will break loose! The country is rife with resentment. The rank-and-file have gravitated toward both parties, depending on how much they relate to what individual party leaders are advocating. What they all have in common is that they don't trust the politicians who are running the country, and they want change. But change represents different things to the opposing factions, and that's the great dilemma facing the nation. The United States has degenerated into a divided state. This is the end result of a dream turning into a nightmare. America's differences have not brought its people together but have driven them apart apart. The country needs a make-over or it will gradually implode. Just like Rome. In this world, nothing involving humans stays the same forever. Shit happens..

Black lives matter???? I think not.

I watched the opening proceedings of the Democratic presidential convention in Philadelphia last night, and it was interesting, if nothing else. I personally thought the quality and tone and message of all the speakers helped to defuse the earlier flare-ups At night's end, however, I continue to have a problem with the "Bernie-or-Bust" fanatics. They're liked spoiled brats who, because they didn't get their way, take their bats and go home. Their "my-way-or-the-highway" attitude is a reflection of the sense of entitlement that afflicts the Millennials who makeup Sanders' supporters, and who are like rowdy fans at a high school football game. They are so inured in their self-righteousness, and are naive about the real world since they spend so much of their time playing video games and patronizing super hero movies, The man who they idolized has seen the wisdom of looking ahead and visualizing the consequences of a Trump victory, and Bernie has opted to endorse who he thinks should be the choice for the next POTUS. Yes, the DNC was partial to Hillary, but they didn't steal the nomination. Bernie got his message out and won states and delegates. The people are who had their say, and more of them voted for Hillary than Bernie. Sanders also accomplished his goal of nudging Hillary to the left in her campaign promises. Best of all, the woman responsible for the DNC's misconduct has been fired and banished from the convention. Yet the "Hate Hillary" crowd prefers to enable Donald Trump by threatening to withhold their vote for a Democratic candidate whose assets outweigh her liabilities, many of which, when vetted, do not hold up,while others stem from being blamed for the sins of her husband. Clinton is by no means perfect, but she is not running for a office that calls for perfection; it calls for someone who is tough, shrewd and knows whereof they speak in a global context. I've made up my mind to vote for a woman for president because not only does she have all the cool people on her side, but - as Bernie reminded us, we need a Democrat in office to appoint upcoming Supreme Court vacancies whose rulings will be instrumental in shaping the future of this country. And we all know Trump wants to return to the past.

Leslie looks nice when she dresses up. It doesn't matter what I think, however. I'm not a man - which I presume is what she's trying to attract. She's 6 ft tall without heels, and I think her height may discourage men shorter than her as much as anything.

@TroyWell,from pictures of your light-skinned, attractive wife, we have to wonder whether her looks initially attracted you before you came to recognize her inner beauty, which presumably would've inspired you to marry her even if she looked liked Leslie. And, tall slim, blue-eyed blonds are not the only standard of beauty in this country. Dark eyed, golden skinned brunettes with voluptuous figures are regarded as desirable, too; just ask Kanye West. Statuesque, dark-skinned women with a regal bearing and exotic features are also considered "stunning". "Cuteness" knows no race or ethnicity. It is found in all women possessing a universal symmetry known as the golden triangle, wherein the facial features in a round face are arranged in a certain way that involve large, slighted-slanted wide-set eyes, curvaceous lips and a button nose. It's easy to advise people to ignore the slings and arrows hurled at them on a public forum, but it's kinda like telling someone to ignore bullets fired at them on the street. The injuries afflicted should be addressed, whether with first aid or retaliation. Let's get real! Civility is losing its place in this country and is becoming equated with political correctness, which is why Donald Trump has so many supporters. The word "utopia" is a name given to a perfect, ideal society; the opposite of this is "dystopia" which is what America has degenerated into and is why Trump may very well become the next POTUS.

It's too bad that the double standard comes into play here. Because loud burly black men are not subjected to as much scrutiny or criticism as bodacious black women, and while black women are expected to be demure ladies, nobody calls out black dudes for not being more gentlemanly. Leslie seems like a decent enough person, and she is entitled to comport herself any way she chooses. But she should be aware that in this cruel world her type will be a magnet for insults and rejection. As much as people like to prate that beauty is only skin deep, it's still what initially attracts men, and the standards of beauty in this country are more westernized than African. Some black females, however, do need to step back and take a look at themselves. i was nonplussed when my 11-year old great-grandson said that at his school, the black guys all like the Hispanic girls cuz the black ones are too loud and ghetto and - "ugly" What a shame. I heard this once before from my 19-year old grandson. Another grandson dated a Hispanic girl for a couple of years and after they broke up he found himself a sista who is an attractive, polished professional black woman, and she considered herself the lucky one to have found a catch like him. Go figure. The black race is really mixed up - in more ways than one And the beat goes on; like a jungle drum.

I don't find Leslie funny in general. She's unimpressive in any role other than that of a loud, animated, desperate black woman. Her persona is over the top and not that humorous. She's the antithesis of the cool, feminine Kerry Washington who represents the epitome of poise and intelligence in her role on the TV show "Scandal". Sadly, the only difference between these 2 characters is that Leslie is like the field nigga who Massa sneaks out to the slave quarters to be with and Kerry is like the house nigga servant and secret mistress of Massa. And so it goes...

It's really about trade-offs. Twitter profits from black traffic, but black posters are provided a forum that is free. It costs them nothing, while providing them with a vast audience for their views and promotions. All they're spending is their time. But, yes, it would be great if black women could create their own social media brand which would create jobs for other blacks..

Power is also about influence, and influence doesn't have to involve ownership. Power can be taking advantage of what is offered for public consumption and using it for your own purposes. There is power in numbers and owners are only as powerful as users and consumers make them, which is why invoking a boycott can be a form of power. Power is more than just a word; it's a dynamic. And of course in comes in degrees IMO Leslie Jones, is a SNL member who recently made her debut in the female re-make of "Ghost Busters". She also appears in a commercial for AllState, and is a former stand-up comedienne, whose alter ego was a loud, overbearing black woman which is also the type she usually plays on SNL The fact that she is tall, dark and husky, wears her hair in a spiky natural and is given to threatening scowls, has offended a certain segment of black women who don't like what they consider her stereotypical way of representing them. Anyway, after "Ghost Busters" came out, she was blitzed with a barrage of hateful racist insults via social media "courtesy" of white movie goers, which she admits hurt and demoralized her. When she took to twitter and answered her critics, a certain amount of power accrued to her and she was suddenly popping up on TV shows, stating her case to sympathetic hosts. No, she probably didn't defuse the hate but she took proud ownership of who and what she is and cashed in on a popular outlet to squash her detractors, earning widespread results in the process. In the old days, people used to stand on platforms to vent their grievances and sell their wares. They may not have owned the platforms but they made good use of them.

Gangs are inner-city terrorists. And black cop killers are domestic terrorists, influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, which is in danger of being comparable to Isis spurring Muslim individuals to go on shooting sprees. It was just a matter of time before blacks joined the ranks of domestic terrorists.There are a lot of mentally disturbed people out there with axes to grind, and they are literally loose cannons looking for a cause to kill for. With all of the sophisticated nuclear weapons and drones in America's military arsenal, one person with a gun and/or a bomb can inflict as much death and chaos as an army unit or missile launcher. No wonder terrorism is so popular as a weapon of choice for fanatics. And speaking of fanatics, anybody listening to Trump last night knows that "law and order" are code words for making America great again by killin' niggas because "blue lives matter more". This acceptance speech was music to the ears of all segments of white America who have had enough of this "democracy-thing" because it promises equal rights for all, and where race and gender and immigrants are concerned, this idea is not in the best interest of the majority. Hillary better "bring it" because the chances of Trump making America "grate" are looking very good.

I have always felt that once Obama made up his mind to run for president, everything he did was calculated and manufactured and compiled on a to-do list. He would have been right at home with The Kennedys who under the guidance of Patriarch Joe Kennedy all mapped out their political aspirations in accordance with shrewd long range strategies. Of course this is what politics are all about; laying the groundwork and creating an impressive resume, be it authentic or crafted. And opportunists are well-served. FDR, criticized his predecessor Herbert Hoover's handling of the economy during the Depression and then once elected, he implemented many of Hoover's plans and re-named them "The New Deal." Creating a false scenario worked for a youthful JFK who called for "A New Frontier" during his presidential run but once he got in, he was reluctant to tamper with the old status quo. Obama shed his suaveness and went through the motions of being a grass roots organizer on his way to seeking office, finally embracing the "audacity" to be the standard bearer for "Hope", - a noble goal that always suckers in disillusioned voters in the race to become head of the country, a strategy Bernie also benefited from. And, of course, "the fool who shall remain nameless", touts the "Make America Great Again" catch phrase that is a.threat more than a promise. As much as she is criticized for being devious, Hillary Clinton is in good company when it comes to her male colleagues. And so it goes...

It also helps to be an original, critical thinker, - something that's not your strong suit, since all you do is parrot the words of others. while hiding behind your anonymity. The hope of the race is to deal with reality instead of false rationales, something which continues to prevent us from saving us. BTW, my last post was mostly about you.

Oh, Puleeze.. What do I have to be bitter and vindictive about? Certainly not anything involving you and your delusions. And what is your source that Vidal died a bitter old man? The last interview I saw him in on HBO shortly before his death, he seemed anything but bitter. In fact, he was quite smug, seeming to have few regrets. For somebody who combed the archives looking for dirt about me, and engaged in a petty campaign to discredit all of my personal reminiscences, and fumed with indignation at any hint that I might pose a threat to your being the resident authority on the subject on Chicago, all the while stooping to the depths of ageism with your vitriolic remarks, not to mention your ongoing practice of lying and distorted the words of others, I find your ridiculous attempts to ennoble yourself by assuming a mantel of positivity to be hilarious! If you could shed your narcissism long enough you could benefit from some self-examination and maybe learn to acknowledge your imperfections like I have done with mine. Although on second thought, you are a native born citizen in the state of denial. That's why you are myopic about the racist dominance of White America and all the happy perks this includes, and how the reality of this continues to thwart the high hopes of the black race, - all of which make your little platitude about negativity ring hollow. SMH. How could I be bitter when, in the twilight of my years, you have provided me with so many occasions to laugh and be grateful that I am the opposite of a pretentious person like you?

Things are really heating up in Cleveland. Latest trending topic sending the media into a frenzy, is the blatant plagiarism committed by Melania Trump, who in her speech at the Republican convention, lifted lines verbatim from a previous speech by Michelle Obama wherein the first lady made references to the ethical values that she shared with her husband, Barack. Melania's faux pas has proven to be a great distraction and Republicans are trying hard to blow it off while the talking heads covering the convention, not to mention gleeful Democrats, and Twitter tweeters are having a field day over this gaffe. Not hard to imagine that all this is a sign of things to come. This prickly incident brought to my mind a line from another speech, - the one delivered by social activist/Grey's Anatomy actor, Jesse Williams, when he accepted his BET humanitarian Award: "demeaning our creations then stealing them." White folks have always co-opted black style and slang, and the way this particular theft has backfired, is a form of poetic justice. LOL It's unsettling how this presidential campaign being waged between the Conservative, Evangelical Republicans and the Liberal Socialist Democrats is becoming more like a war between 2 countries instead of a race between 2 parties. Will America end up with a president who resembles an alien from another planet and a first lady who is an alien from another country? Or will ol Hillary weather the storm under the umbrella provided by the "lesser-of-2-evils" voters? We shall see when the last act of this farce is played out in November.

Who said you wrote the piece? I didn't, and I was amused rather than offended by it because all this ploy amounted to was an opportunity for you to make your repetitive, sanctimonious declarations. And, of course, there was no overview because you aren't capable of taking one.(How many times do I have to chide you about having tunnel vision and not being able to see past your nose when issuing your opinions?) SMH You're perfectly free to stand by your statement since that's what you believe. But your believing it is not an anointment, and doesn't make it true - or right. It's just words.

I go waaay back with the 1960s liberal, Gore Vidal, and in my world he was a brilliant, respected writer, a renaissance man with a cynical wit and an endearing quality of not taking himself too seriously. Gore was also an astute political pundit and I, along with great numbers of others, had no problem with his opinion of the caustic, racist, arch-conservative, William F. Buckley. And many other high-profile figures feuded with the volatile, erratic Norman Mahler as well as the malicious, capricious gossip-mongering, Truman Capote. They were all colorful controversial characters, typical of their and my era. Was Gore flawed? Of course. And I see little relevance to your including the opinion piece about him except to expose how much you have in common with him when it comes to old people and grudges. SMH In the overview which is something your pontificating seems oblivious to, the Existential and Relativism schools of thought imply that right and wrong should be proceeded by the phrase "as compared to what" and are really just words in a universe that has no rhyme or reason, - as opposed to the little cookie cutter world you're confined in. And in your permanent state of vacillation, you apparently don't find it inconsistent to inject the words negative and positive into your attempts to portray your views as being preferable to mine. (And where would you be without the words of others and the links to references and the quotes from google that hamper your ability to be an abstract thinker instead of a didactic pedant with a childish penchant for silly emoticons. (Quick! Trot out your favorite "ad hominem" accusation to soothe your vanity.) I'm all about the truth and seek it because it is the light. But I am also about the whole truth, not just how it is exemplified in the old fable about the 3 blind men who came in contact with an elephant, after which one described it as having rough skin, while the other said it had a trunk, and the last one insisted it possessed a little tail. Each one of their conclusion was truthful but not the whole truth because they could not see the elephant. The nature of truth and reality are among my favorite things to ponder, and are mind-boggling subjects which you, of all people, are not qualified to speak about. SMH I am not a unique person to those who don't surround themselves with ass-kissers who humor them and think like they do. Besides "bitch", there is another word to describe individuals like me. We have always been around to keep people grounded. The word is "polemicist". I am unapologetic for whom and what I am, and guess who doesn't give a fuck if this doesn't meet your approval? Go somewhere and sit down! LMAO.

Puleeze. What is your reference for what Simon Cowell was accused of? His critiques were called any number of things, all of which, like "heartless", were synonymouss for being "negative". And although YOU don't like Donald Trump's rallying cry to "make America great again", this phrase can stand alone as being "positive" especially by his millions of supporters. It has nothing to do with spinning, and has everything to do with your inability to be objective.. Furthermore, since concepts of negative and positive technically have nothing to do with right or wrong, my comments about the black state of affairs in America which you consider negative, are not wrong, and your reprimands are just hot air, fueled by your delusion that your positivity makes you right.