Cynique

LOL. I am more impressed with you, Mel, than I am with Beyonce, because I'm using a different criteria. Success isn't always about making millions of dollars; your daughters are the stars in your crown. Also, I tend to believe that astute business man Jay-Z can take a lot of credit for the career moves that have netted Beyonce such big bucks, since most of the ones that had an impact occurred during their marriage, and I'm sure her parents filled this role before him Or can I get enthusiastic over her winning a Grammy for writing the repetitive lyrics to a droning little pop ditty. Obviously the generation gap is at work here. I do give Beyonce credit for being good at what she does; she's a great dancer and can carry a tune and she has benefited from the mistakes of others. But when it comes to being a role model, I'd put her in the same category as an NBA star, All young hoopsters want to be like Mike, but very few will make the cut. These superstars are the stuff of dreams and I'd just advise those young girls who want to follow in their idol's footsteps to have a Plan B in case they aren't lucky enough to duplicate the success of Queen "B".

Typical Pioneer double talk and subterfuge. 2 guys on this thread agree with some of the things you declare, along with "countless of men and women all over Black America" - a vague phrase that could represent as little as 10 or as many as 10 thousand since the number is countless - agree with your observation. So, according to your spin, this makes it overwhelmingly factual. You'd make a good used car salesman. As it is, in "the world according to Pioneer", you are in the driver's seat and can always be depended on to give tours through a verbal maze of the endless anecdotes and ongoing experiences that you think carry more weight than the anecdotes of other people who don't agree with you. School teachers for centuries have been telling boys to not slouch in their seats, and to curb their aggressive behavior and to pay attention in class. Now after all this time, expecting black boys to buckle down, shape up and attempt to learn something is being blamed for what avid watchers like you perceive as effeminate behavior. I don't deny that there may be something to this, I just need some input from professionals who have conducted tests and done legitimate studies on the subject. BTW, I noticed you haven't observed the correct spelling of my screen name "Cynique". And that's a fact.

Everything that you pontificate about is anecdotal, Pioneer. Your "proof" takes the form of people you've known or incidents that you have personally observed over the years. Your generalizations are not objective but are simply your subjective interpretations which amount to nothing more than the "truth" as you see it, which is untested. Have you ever been in prison? If these men were masculine how did you know they were gay? Just because they had a "bitch" doesn't mean they were gay and if they were the "bitch", it is more likely they'd be acting effeminate. It would make more sense to simply speculate that while in prison, out of desperation, many masculine men engage in homosexual behavior, but once they get out and have access to women again, they revert to their straight self. This is what an "observer" once told me.

The southern blacks didn't come through for Carson in the South Carolina Caucus election where he finished last. Carson's support has always come from white Evangelicals, He's never really generated a lot enthusiasm in the black electorate north or south.

Maybe. But they don't seem to have any trouble sitting down playing video games all day. Nobody goes outside and runs around anymore. Boredom probably attributes to the restless behavior of a lot of young boys rather than an impluse to act like males. Teachers might have better luck if they make learning more interesting.

Well, Troy, this is where we get into the abstraction of gender as opposed to sex. What is feminine behavior? Not slouching in your desk, paying attention in class, and not slurring your words or bullying others? I wasn't aware that sitting up straight is a strain on males; it's certainly something the military stresses. Is being aggressive, disrupting the class room, not doing your homework, and sassing the teacher masculine behavior that should be tolerated. Behaving yourself has nothing to do with sex or gender, it's just being disciplined. IMO

LOL, From one pop culture vulture to another, how can picking celebrities apart be resisted?? Their egotistic narcissism makes them so ripe for ridicule. It's hard not to mock their award show acceptance speeches, trite utterances that alternate between mawkish soliloquies and rehearsed spontaneity. Both of these, however, are preferable, to the reading of a long list of those who are to blame for the winner being on the stage accepting an award that snide Golden Globe host Ricky Gervais so aptly reminded, is something nobody but the recipient cares about after a week. But, worst of all is enduring the unctuous suck-ups trolling the red carpet, microphone in hand, asking designer-garbed zombies, "who" are you wearing. I can't wait for Chris to rock the Oscars this Sunday, laying a guilt trip on those responsible for not finding a subservient role to reward a black actor for playing. I wouldn't miss it!

Homosexuality is a very complex sexual dynamic. Professionals haven't even been able to sort out everything about it. So, Pioneer, you'd do well to preface your conclusions with an "IMO". Surely you don't think we didn't know that homosexuality doesn't discriminate. It is a "deviation" that has even been observed in animals. There are so many mysteries about homosexuality like how it's not uncommon, in the case of fraternal male twins, for one twin to be gay, while the other is straight, and there are other variations on homosexuality in both male and female twins which support the idea of sexuality originating in the womb. I find it interesting that gender is considered different from sex because it is a distinction associated with inanimate objects, most specifically clothing; i.e. the gender of a frilly dress is female. and the gender of a tweed suit is male but this is only because society has decided this to be the case, just another example of how much our "norms" are dictated by Society. As for teachers imposing girlish behavior on boys, this doesn't hold up when it comes to "tom-boy" girls. Nobody pressures them to act masculine, they just do it. It's all very complicated and I don't think you can generalize, especially because one person's interpretation of effeminate behavior may differ from another one's. So, who knows? IMO, the old saying about "the same fire that melts wax, makes steel hard" can, in a way, apply to school boys because they apparently develop differently under the same circumstances, and this leads to the the old controversy about which is more influential? Heredity? Or environment? No doubt, however, the lines separating the sexes are becoming blurred and the LGBT community is growing.

What you do is commendable, Troy. You have a great combination of skill-sets and, above all, your goal of advancing and enabling the black literati in particular, makes you an asset to the on-line diaspora which owes you a debt of gratitude. Just because I'm not a full participant in all that AALBC offers doesn't mean I don't appreciate your efforts. Just attribute my apathy to my advancing age. LOL

You're a very good writer! That always helps to make what you write, interesting. Everybody has a story to tell. but very few have a good command of language. I wish you well.

LOL. The first paragraph was really directed more toward "Pioneer".

I thought the issue was that straight black men were unconsciously starting to act a tad effeminate. That's different from flamboyant behavior on the part of black men who are actually gay. Obviously the flaming male in the video is flaunting his gayness but this has nothing to do with a trend toward straight black men losing their masculine demeanor. Unless this distinction is made, everybody is not on the same page. I guess Gays, like Straights, come in all varieties, Chris.

This discussion would not be complete without a dissenting view, and dissent is my brand. When it comes to Beyonce, I consider her a caricature. She's so over the top, she's exhausting. I question her genuine concern for her people which includes charitable write-offs, because everything she does is calculated to enhance her image and advance her career which is why she's currently capitalizing on controversy. I don't think, in between forever reminding people that she is half Creole, that Beyonce is hard core black, or could she ever hold her own in an in-depth discussion about anything except booty shaking and pelvis grinding. She's all style and no substance, all designer garb and hair extensions, replete with a wind machine. I really wouldn't be surprised if Jay-Z wasn't bored out of his skull with her. . Yes, Bey is a great entertainer, a golden girl who doesn't do drugs, but there are so many more accomplished black females who make better role models. I will give her her props for being ambitious and determined but she didn't pull herself up by her bootstraps since she came from a middle class family and had a head-start, thanks to her bootielicious physical attributes. But - that's show biz! I know I'm talking to the wall because you can't argue with success! Just ask Lady Ga-Ga and Taylor Swift, the other 2 pagan goddesses of vacuity. LOL

Chris, the meticulous men who Pioneer,Troy and you describe are referred to as "Meterosexuals", a term that has been around for over 10 years. What I currently notice about black young men is how so many of them have "swag". Whatever the case, it should be obvious that not having male role models can take its toll on black men and, in some schools of thought, their having a dysfunctional relationship with an absentee father can be a precursor to homosexuality. But I don't think the feminine straight guys are just limited to black men. Lesbianism also seems to be growing more common - among women of all colors. Who knows? Maybe all of the interchangeable sexuality is the next stage in the evolution of the species known as Homo Sapiens, - no pun intended.

I am not talking about contemplative intellectuals, I'm talking about good students, who know how to use the correct grammar that enables them to speak well. In eschewing slang and Ebonics, they tend to sound effeminate when compared to hood rats. It's like how guys with English accents sound gay. Anybody who fits your description as far as dress and manner and timidness are concerned sounds like they may be latent homosexuals. Others might just be beat down from having been bullied.

Lynchings took place in a different era. My street-wise grandson tells me that a lot of these kids have a fatalistic approach about their aimless lives, their attitude being "if I die, I die"...

Does that mean Kathleen was lying about the abuse she claimed to be a victim of?

A black male who talks "proper" often comes across as effeminate and doing so is associated with being smart, and being smart is a prelude to attending college where overcompensating to shed the ghetto/thug demeanor could create the effect of diminished masculinity.

We have to agree to disagree, Troy. We all look the same on the inside but we vary differently in the way we look on the outside, and depending on the the societal environment, how we look does make a difference in how we behave. I believe the science of Anthropology deals with this. You are the captive of ideology, believing in the way you want things to be, as opposed to how they are. IMO, knowing the race of the person whose work represents his interpretation of racism makes the whole experience multi-faceted. The idea that we are a cookie-cutter species stunts possibilities. I think our differences are what make life interesting.

Unfortunately, I no longer subscribe to either because I'm too jaded for them to command my interest any longer. Ebony's subscription rates are very low and the introductory offers include bonus copies which turn out to be back issues. When their iconic red and white name banner started appearing in different color combinations, I knew John Johnson had to be rolling over in his grave. I don't think either of these publications represent anything but a blip in the radar when it comes to Chicago's African American community in terms of jobs or politics.

LOL. I was defending name-calling because I do it, very often using descriptive adjectives and phrases as opposed to a single "name". It's a part of my arsenal and, if need be, I include it in my rebuttals. It is also an handy tool when ridiculing your antagonist. Very often those who complain about name-calling do so in lieu of giving an intelligent retort. My philosophy continues to be if you can't stand the heat, get outta the damned kitchen. Online debates are not for the faint of heart. And, - I can take it as well as dish it out! BTW, I wasn't aware that YouTube was a discussion forum. I just go there for music, to see if I can find songs from the past and I mean the past, like 50 or 60 years ago. It makes my day when I get lucky.

Well, I'm not absolving racism when it comes to black woes, all I'm saying is that the black underclass should try not to play into the hands of the oppressor There are, after all, millions of black people who have succeeded in spite of racism.

The "white" race is an artificial concept, but the Caucasian stock has scientific basis. After all, people of the Negroid stock and the Caucasian one have different traits, most prominently, skin color and hair texture and to a lesser degree, facial features and body types. In America all the ethnic subdivisions of the Caucasian stock eventually fell under the "white" umbrella for economic and social reasons and this distinction has become inured in their attitude. I personally feel that a white artist and a black one bring different perspectives to racism and if I know what race an artist is, then this supplies me with a little more information when judging their work. This would also apply to an Asian artist. It would further be the same with feminism; I would like to know the sex of an artist who decides to express his or her sentiments about this subject in art. Of course my preference takes away spontaneity but it also adds a dimension of nuance.,. I can, however, see why others wouldn't care about the race or sex of an artist in the above circumstances.

I wouldn't be surprised if "Dr" Jawanza Kunjufu's birth name is Leroy Jackson. Using his kinta cloth scarf as a prop, he's recognized a cash cow that pays off, and is milking it for all it's worth on the lecture circuit, and in the black book market. Like many well-meaning social critics, he has hit upon subject that provides black people with straws to grasp in the ongoing charade of advancing intellectual explanations for the shape the race finds itself in. But - they are doing no harm. Or good either because the people who need to read Dr. Kunjufu's book are too busy going up to school and beating up their kid's teachers for trying to discipline Pookie. I'm curious if included in his conspiracy theory is how the white dominated Pro-Life Movement accuses Planned Parenthood of exploiting indigenous black females by enabling them to take charge of their bodies, something that could lower the numbers of neglected black boys falling through the cracks, totally abandoned by the Pro-Life meddlers, crowding the DCFS ranks, growing up in abusive foster homes, developing personality disorders that result in their being misunderstood and over-medicated.End of rant. Time to return to Neverland.

Didn't somebody famous once say "all art is political"? Hummm. I would prefer to know the race of an artist who uses his craft to make a statement about racism because - race matters.