Cynique

OK, Troy. I checked the link out and everything looks fine to me. I'm trusting your judgment on all of this because you know what you're doing. Thanks again for doing for me what I can't do for myself!

Sheeze! That Parisienne shoot-out has really touched a nerve in America which has apparently been "jonzin" for a new tragedy to revitalize the 9/11 crying binge it's been on for the last 14 years. What happened is Paris was terrible to be sure, but all mass murders are tragic and in comparison to the recent acts of terrorism in Nigeria, 129 fatal casualties ain't that awesome. Chiraq has accumulated a better record than that in one month. Ah, but French Lives Matter! What's also interesting is how a petulant America has so magnanimously forgiven a country with which it has been on bad terms since the French opposed the war in Iraq. How quickly we forget. So incensed was this country with France's reluctance to become an ally that there were calls to outlaw everything Gallic, most notably the urging to rename "French" fries "Freedom" fries. Indeed, for having the good sense to consider a war with Iraq ill-advised, the sneering, aloof French became the object of America's ridicule and scorn. With a common foe, however, and the perilous threat it represents, standing in solidarity with France now does makes sense. However, I find the slavish displays and demonstrations sweeping the nation to be a bizarre overkill. French flags and Eiffel Tower replicas are embellishing objects and images all over the country and the Internet. Moments of silence at athletic events, flags flying at half mast, TV newscasters and hosts all a-quiver in their expressions of sympathy. I couldn't help but snicker at a sound bite of a blubbering Madonna appearing on stage after a concert, bemoaning this disaster, her 57 year old body tucked into a skimpy outfit replete with leather boots and fish net stockings, All that was missing was an Oscar to clutch, - won for the best performance by an over-the-hill opportunist eager for the spotlight. I also couldn't help wondering if President Obama would rate all this hysteria should he meet with a... bad fate. Would Saturday Night Live open its show with Keenan Thompson lamenting this awful occasion by speaking in his best Ebonic accent like a SNL cast member did when expressing the show's condolences in French?? My take on this orgy of sorrow is that America's collective consciousness needs a catharsis from time to time, and has never met a flower-strewn, candle-light vigil it didn't like. Meanwhile, the only thing desperate Syrian refugees are inspiring in America's bleeding heart is its other compulsion to suspiciously dismiss any religion other than Christianity. Lord, have mercy. Yet, what else can be expected? The world is in turmoil and this country is on edge, worried about the good guys defeating the bad ones. But, not to worry. God is on our side, - unless, of course, he morphs into Allah. . .

Well, Guys, if you're like me, mostly all of my friends on FaceBook are literally my friends, - people I am related to, or went to school with or worked with, or met later in life. So when it comes to FaceBook, in my case, it is literally a social media. I post pictures of me and my kids and grandkids on their birthdays, or on special occasions. I also do a little editorializing from time to time, posting opinions that are intentionally offensive to religious or patriotic people. I occasionally share some personal observations but they are usually ones that poke fun at myself. All the religious memes and prayers requests and pictures of food and pets do bore me but, believe it or not, there are a lot of folks who like to hear the testimonies of others who have, with the help of the Lord, made it through a crises. Black women, particularly, tend to be sentimental and mawkish and eat up sappy stuff like this. FaceBook is also embroidered with threads that originate with controversial memes inviting comments which provoke angry exchanges among people of different political and religious persuasion. These discussions are my cup of tea because I like to argue! Needless to say, FaceBook is a stage, a screen, a form of communication which enables both young and old to connect with the world-at-large, - especially for me because I don't get out and about that much any more. And it should be noted that FaceBook was not a spontaneous combustion. It was a insidious idea that gradually ingratiated itself into a population ripe for a way to validate its existence by sharing its mundane experiences with an audience. Facebook is also a channel for perversion and a conduit for violence. Obviously it satisfies a need which is why it thrives.

"If called by a panther, don't anther" is a famous line written by poet, Ogden Nash, an exponent of the nonsense poetry genre, "anther" being the way a person with a speech pediment would say "answer". (Nonsense poetry originated with nursery rhymes.) Another famous couplet of Ogden Nash is: "candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker". When it comes to poems about candles, bon vivant Edna St. Vincent Millay's little verse is also famous: "My candle burns at both ends/It will not last the night/But ah my foes and oh my friends/ It gives a lovely light."

I don't know how much Spike donated to the organization fightin black-on-black crime.

I just happen to notice this post because with the exception of Haiku I am not that into poetry any more and hardly ever come to this forum. But, - when I saw Troy's name as the last poster, I decided to check out the leaves on the Poetree. Whatever. I read "Life' s Candle" and as is Cynique's habit, took on the role of critic... My immediate reaction was a problem with the mixed metaphor that greeted me. The candle is curiously made from clay(?) in one line and then becomes "hot molten wax" in the following line. My next red flag was the use of a candle as a metaphor for life because this is so common that to do so hampers originality; how many ways can't you versify a snuffed out wick representing death?? Which brings us to Shirley's need to inform the reader that a candle is a symbol of life's mystery when actually, this message didn't ring true since she made the comparison between a candle and life anything but a mystery. And, there's always the snag of poems that rhyme, because to make words rhyme, sentences often have to be transposed, something which can make them awkward. Like Troy, I also was thrown by the sudden insertion of the word "thee", and wondered who it was meant for, - which is not necessarily a bad thing because it leaves things to the reader's imagination. Unfortunately in my imagination, using "thee" was an affectation. Anyhoo, poetry is a personal thing and as long as it is an extension of the poet's soul, so be it,

Sorry I don't have any constructive input. But I am not tech-smart, and if I knew what it took to be a successful author, - I would be a successful author. Good Luck in your endeavors.

Spike Lee's decision to make a movie entitled "Chiraq" created a lot of controversy in Chi-town, with many characterizing him as a carpetbagger, - a New Yorker descending on Chicago, capitalizing on an ongoing crises, and bringing more focus on this town's violent reputation. I tended to agree with this but Spike did have support from those who credited him with providing jobs for local actors with this "art-imitating-life" project, even as it poured salt on the wounds of those who have lost loved ones to gun fire. Spike did make a financial contribution to a local organization fighting black-on-black crime.

My post was an opinion piece. I'd be interested in hearing an opinion from someone who supports Carson. Another interesting thought is what if Trump and Sanders decided to team up on an Independent ticket, promising that, together, they could fix America, what would happen??? If there was some give and take on each other's part, - who knows???

Well, Unkel Ruckus, Obama wasn't an untested politician. He ran for Congress once, and was a U.S. Senator before being elected to the Presidency (twice). His policies may be controversial but they were in the context of a global awareness; not in the sphere of theocratic myths. Moreover, voting for him could be regarded as a teachable moment for people who think Obama was a bad president; don't make the same mistake twice by electing another clueless black president which is what Carson would be.

I've been trying to ignore Republican presidential candidate, Ben Carson, in the hope that he would go away, once people discerned that he's more suited to be a cult leader rather than a world one. No such luck. I underestimated the vindictiveness of those who hate the Media and love the Bible. I learned a lesson about blind faith and arrogant science and how they neutralize each other, leaving the truth in limbo, and conflict in command. I personally reject everything Carson represents: his fanatical Evangelical beliefs, his right-wing Conservative politics, his blatant racial naivete and his anti-feminism, but I am discovering how presumptuous I was to think my sentiments mattered. I concede that the media is not perfect and, yes, I've become impatient with political correctness, but the idea that Ben Carson is an effective anti-dote for these irritants does not square with me. I am not mesmerized by his soft-spoken manner or his surgical feats. Because he does not raise his voice, does not mean that what he murmurs has credibility. Because he has deft hands, does not mean that he has a nimble intellect. The more his squinting eyes and forked tongue possess his persona and reinforce his whining victimization, the more convinced I am that this man is not fit to be the President of the United States. Ben Carson and his inexperience might be a man who appeals to the fed-up people, but that's what troubles me. The petulant, fed-up people whom he appeals to have lost their appetite for tolerance, miffed because they cannot impose their narrow-minded beliefs on others. We need a unifier, not someone who promotes the divisiveness of religion. Most of all, we need a qualified person who is knowledgeable about world affairs and domestic economics, not an amateur with a Messianic Complex. And, as a black person, there is no way in hell that I could vote for a negro who declared that black people have been doing well over the past 150 years, grateful for what they have, and should not be stirred up and encouraged to demonstrate for equality. Meekly accepting second-class status is apparently what would make Uncle Ben grin and shuffle, while not rocking the boat. IMO, Ben Carson is a wanna-be whose Tea Party I don't want to be invited to, and he leaves me no choice but to throw my loyalty to a woman candidate. I'll take a super bitch over a subdued bozo!

I’m close to turning in my Liberal card and giving full sway to my inner bigot. I really hate right-wing Conservatives but, more and more, Liberals and their repressive politically-correct demands are starting to irk me. I’m tired of being expected to walk in lock-step with their party line which requires such things as heaping praise and awards on Caitlyn Jenner. I accept that this LGBT poster child should be free to embrace "its" inner identity, but that doesn’t nullify my right to think that Caitlyn is anything other than a cross-dressing male who I find annoying and ridiculous. I’m also tired of risking the homophobe designation because Gays turn me off with their overbearing demands that everyone be comfortable with their public displays of affection and their walk-down-the-aisle wedding ceremonies that turn them into “husband” and “wife”; it’s enough that I concur with their being allowed to marry whomever they want . But, I’m not obligated to refrain from rolling my eyes and pursing my lips at what I consider bizarre. And, then, there are the Muslims; yes, I agree that they are entitled to religious freedom, but I am also free to not like their beliefs or the burkas their women swath themselves in or the fact that I would view with suspicions any Arab passenger on an airplane with me. And forget the requirement to indiscriminately side with females crying rape after voluntarily putting themselves in a compromising position, expecting a horny dog to turn into a cuddly puppy after they decide at the last second to change their mind about "going all the way". Agreed that, “no” means “no”, but. you are not a heroine because you later cloak yourself in righteous indignation and publicly finger the culprit. You are more of a bad decision-maker who risked becoming a victim of sexual assault because you underestimated the effect provocative drunkeness and revealing clothes have on testosterone. I’ll save my sympathetic support for innocent victims assaulted by strangers or over-aggressive acquaintances. Currently, it’s the incident that happened in the Columbia, South Carolina school. I’m sick of the excuse-making for bad-assed kids of any race who disrespect authority and expect the world to adjust to their defiant whims, thereby sending the wrong message to their peers, thanks to the rationales advanced by their defenders. True, the victim who was brutally accosted by this cretin cop did not deserve his overreaction. But why is it a “no-no” to remind that if she hadn’t been disrupting the classroom, refusing to cooperate with the teacher and being inconsiderate of her classmates, none of this would’ve happened. Am I a Donald Trump supporter, you ask? Hell no because this blustering egomanic wants his personal prejudices to be become the law. Does Ben Carson apppeal to me, you wonder? No way, because this weirdo is out of touch with reality. I’m just a venting skeptic on the verge of disassociating myself from bleeding heart Liberals. Sigh. One of the things I always looked forward to was mellowing with age. But the ridiculous state of America has soured me. tsk-tsk. What to do, what to do...

Thank you, Troy! ( I'd almost for gotten about those books I reviewed.) I really appreciate your giving me the "something special", not to mention an easy way to keep my book out there because trying to promote it on my own calls for more energy and enthusiasm than I can muster nowadays. So - what I'm purchasing from aalbc is a service in the format of buying a book. Right? Okaaaay. I'm on it! Also, I would like to include the link to my web site somewhere in the pitch. //conniediversbradley.simplesite.com Thanks again!

I wanted to take advantage of the $50.00 for 50 days offer, Troy, but - I didn't get it. What is it i'm purchasing on the check out page and how do I pay for it??? (Old people like me need specific instructions.)

It should be noted that horror, sci-fi, and fantasy are 3 difference genre's that follow different guide lines. Below is an excerpt from an Editor's explanation explaining what distinguishes these genres from each other. "In horror the storyworld does not need to make rational sense; in fantasy it needs to make sense internally, but not externally; in science fiction it needs to be plausible both internally and externally. I’m not, by the way, suggesting that it’s easier to write horror than science fiction – far from it. Creating the suspension of disbelief necessary to make you scared of an implausible monster is a tough trick." So, Dracula would be an example of horror; Lord of the Rings, fantasy; StarTrek, sci-fi. I guess you could say these 3 types are actually subdivisions of The Supernatural.

I'd take Trump over Uncle Ben. Trump is ego-driven but he's not crazy. Carson is a loony tune who wants to turn this country into a Christian theocracy, claiming he wants government out of people's lives yet believing the government should control women's bodies, and put prayer back in schools. He has a very simplistic view of the world and doesn't have a handle on what it takes to run a country. When all is said and done I'd go with Hilliary because Bernie is an idealogue whose good intentions would have a near impossible time when it came to implementing them. Ol pragmatic Hilliary is the best of the worst - and she's a woman!

I'm surprised you believe the rumors and figures about Star Wars, Troy, since this involves MEDIA hype and manipulation. LOL Black folks are not that into sci-fi movies, are they? This genre is more the bailiwick of comic book geeks and Trekies. Horror movies, of course, do appeal to Blacks who like to yell at the screen when silly white characters decide to go see what the noise is in the basement of a haunted mansion. Time and time again I hear Blacks say in regard to any movie that they'll wait for it to be available on Net-Flix or Cable. Black women love all the prime time soap operas starring strong black women on network TV or BET or Oprah's OWN channel and Fox's EMPIRE, naturally. Working class black men, however, are into JORDANS. Many of them have been camped out for a couple of days waiting to be among the first to purchase the new EXPENSIVE Jordan shoe coming out in conjunction with a Michael Jordan memorabilia store opening in Chicago.This, for a greedy billionaire who, to my knowledge, gives back very little to the black community that is so loyal to him, and this along with how vindictive and class less he has turned out to be is why I am no longer a fan of MJ. Maybe the anti-white vibe to the latest Star Wars" movie can be attributed to producer George Lucas being "whipped". Do you know that this billionaire is married to Chicago entrepreneur Melody Hobson who is black?? Lucas is currently trying to finalize plans for a Star Wars museum to be erected on Chicago's lake front, a venture rumored to have been influenced by his love affair with the city where he met his future wife. He seems totally besotted with this sista who is very together and whose impressive resume includes being a contributing financial consultant on CBS This Morning. Chicagoland and this includes my home town, abounds with privately-owned Barbeque joints and Soul food places, not to mention all the fast food franchises some of which are owned by Blacks and all of which provide employment exclusively for Blacks and Hispanics.

Do you think the media was responsible for Obama's election and re-election? Did Mitt Romney lose because Obama had better commercials? Ben Carson is now almost as well known as Trump and he was never on a TV series. If the media decides which polls are shown, why did they release the poll numbers that showed 60 percent of the public doesn't trust the media? Where else should voters get their impressions and information about the people who are running for office? And it is possible that people don't believe all the media hype and go with their gut feelings when it comes to voting for someone. Also, too much hype can backfire and people may vote against someone because they're tired of the overkill. I'm not saying that the media doesn't wield any influence, I'm just questioning how much.

You give the media too much credit.The results of a recent poll reveal that 60 percent of the public does not trust the media. The media may provide a platform for the political candidates but it does not wield any influence over the people who soak up and agree with what the candidates say. The supporters of all the political candidates make up their own minds in accordance with whether or not they relate to the positions the candidates take or even whether or not they simply like the candidates.The media also covers Hilliary Clinton and Bernie Sanders who, unlike Donald Trump and Ben Carson, don't pander to people's prejudices or cater to their religious beliefs. The polls may be conducted by the media but the results reflect the mood of the country and the mood of the country is shifting against political correctness which is a boon for Trump and Carson. Furthermore, how else can the electorate learn anything about the candidates running for president if these candidates are not given air time and newsprint ink by the media?? BTW, fact checkers are an arm of the media.

I don't know what to make of the Ben Carson surge, a phenomenon fueled by the outrageous statements that elate white conservatives, the group whose support has positioned him among the Republican front runners for president. He is always referred to as "brilliant neurosurgeon", something I am not impressed with. Surgeons may have good hand-to-eye contact but this does not automatically make them critical thinkers or mentally balanced. Carson's simplistic solutions to complicated problems bespeak of a man who is totally out of touch with reality. He comes across to me as the consummate good negro, whose prime objective is to not rock the boat by offending white people. His whole mindset seems to be that looking the other way will make problems disappear. For some reason, this nonthreatening soft spoken Uncle Ben turns me off. I just don't like him! And I'm puzzled by how his sudden prominence seems to mute the black electorate and inhibit black leaders. Maybe his homophobia, anti-abortion stance, evangelical religious views, gun advocacy, and rejection of such pro active groups as "black lives matter" secretly resonate with the black populace. Who knew? But how could leaders like Cornel West, and Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson or even Farrakan not call him out for making such statements as Obamacare being the worst thing since slavery or that over many decades black folks have been doing just fine, grateful for what they've been given, until Obama came along and stirred them up with divisive statements about race???? It's like Blacks are tip-toeing around this latter day house nigga, blinded by his rising star. I'm curious as to how he is faring on Black Twitter. Oh well. I know my personal feelings don't count but I certainly hope that Carson's campaign eventually fizzles. The thought of him being president does not inspire me enough to conclude that he couldn't be any worse than Donald Trump.

I assume, Troy, that you don't put the Sunday morning new shows such as "Face the Nation" and "Meet the Press" and the George Stephanapolos (sp?) Panel in the same category as "60" Minutes". Why? Hillary Clinton and Carly and Ben and Jeb have all appeared on these shows. The print media, specifically newspapers, are what I use as a yardstick when it comes to the communication industry and their reports which don't have bylines are straight news, adhering to the what, where. when, why, and who paradigm. All newspapers have an OpEd section and that's where the editors take positions, and columnists express opinions.. This is journalistic tradition and is as it should be. I think you are more focused on TV news and magazine shows and on-line social media which are more geared toward entertainment. It should be noted, however, that it's a new day, and a different audience. The media gives the people what they want, and politicians are now following suit by catering not to principles but to the prejudices of certain segments of the population. This is the name of the game in 2015, along with the pervasiveness of electronic gadgetry. I don't think "reform" is on the horizon. Time brings change - obviously not always for the better.

Political candidates are interviewed on news programs like 60 Minutes all the time, Troy. I'm in total agreement with Bernie but his ideas are too radical to implement. Like you, Troy, he is a maverick but in order to achieve success, Independents are inevitably forced to emulate those who are successful and this involves compromising their scruples and deferring to the pragmatism that will neutralize their high ideals. Trump is a political maverick and his potential lies in the fact that he is already ruthless and greedy, this being how he became a success in the corporate world. Crusaders and idealists don't fare well in business or politics. They end up in academia where they write books and teach classes about ethics and abstract philosophical ideas. Journalism has to walk a thin line between accuracy and sensationalism. Journalism is also about editorializing, and editorializing is subjective, so a distinction has to be made between fact and opinion. That's why people should consider the source of what is reported. We live in a superficial world so we have to distill reality by reading between the lines and following the tried and true lesson of judging people not by what they say but by what they do. Bottom line, is that News is, what it is. And the media may not be perfect but the alternative is to not hear about anything to believe or scoff at.

OK. I followed the link and Voila! My goodness! That was 7 years ago. What a treat that thread was to read. Back in the good ol days. Yes, I was wrong about your early commitment to Obama and the skepticism of the rest of us. Altho I don't remember posting any of that, I must say that I was consistent because I continued to remain on the fence when it came to Obama while others changed later. You did fall under the sway of Cornel West and became disillusioned with Obama half way through his first term while his previous detractors came to his defense because it was so obvious that the Republicans were stifling him. I did and continue have mixed emotions about him - to this day. Give me an example of how the media spreads propaganda and encourages racial prejudice? Good journalism requires that the facts be reported. How this effects those who read the facts stems from their own shortcomings. If people are dumb they have only themselves to blame. The media is not a babysitter.. If you had your way, people would go through life, paranoid and suspicious about everything, never trusting their own ability to exercise good judgment about what the real deal is, never allowing themselves to enjoy something just for the sake of enjoyment. I really don't think anybody is fooled by Donald Trump or that the media takes him seriously. His supporters just don't care about his phoniness so they deserve what they get.

Sorry, that's not how I remember things being 8 years ago when it comes to Obama. There was no reason for you to chide posters about being self-hating negroes because everybody but you was enthusiastic about Obama's running, (Folks like Carey, A Woman, Mzuri, ABM, Ferocious Kitty, Yukio, Yvette, Li-Li, Linda, Crystal and maybe even Kola and Chris Hayden were pro-Obama) I was a little luke warm about the idea of him being a black "savior" and so were you. Your calling us self-hating negroes had more to do with hair and color issues, not a lack of support for Obama. Racial and religious prejudice didn't just crop up when the media became an invasive force. They've always been human foibles that people acquired from interacting with those different from themselves, and certainly you don't think that whether this campaign is to be taken seriously or not, that it should not be reported about. IT'S NEWS! And actually it could be taken seriously because it's a reflection of the discontent and disgust that are casting a pall over the country. Are you suggesting that this "Rejection-of-Insiders" phenomenon should just be ignored? What do YOU think the dreaded media should be focusing on? What generates traffic to computer sites? LOL And why are you quoting Robert Reich instead of Ta-nehisi Coates? tsk-tsk.

LOL. Humm. The Pope coming to America wasn't being touted as anything other than a good will visit. I don't think anybody seriously expected his visit to amount to more than a hill of beans. But what's so stupid about those who wanted to see him from a historical perspective? Witnessing history is not a shallow pursuit. And I can't believe that you are crushed because Obama being president hasn't made a difference. I don't EVER remember you being anything but cynical about Obama either as a candidate or as president. As for political polls, they are not devised to measure people's intellect and ignorance. They are a barometer of what trends are emerging, which can be intriguing to observe. The debates exposed the candidates not issues, and their rants appealed to those who related to what was being claimed even if it was untrue. The campaign has provided a platform for prejudices and prejudiced people are responding in full force. Nobody is denying that this presidential race is a farce and speaking of farces, when it comes to black people, everybody knows it, but nobody says it; as a race, we seem doomed to come in last place. Glad I'm old.