Cynique

No matter what you want to call yourself, wc.edwards, in the eyes of white people you are - as the Chinese man said, when asked what his people called black folks: "same ting, nigger right on." Color blindness is wishful thinking. Caucasian Americans are proud of their nationalities and culture or do they feel a great need to transcend their color. They are comfortable in their skin. If you aren't, then lotsa luck in in your quest to distract people from what you are in an effort to project who you are. Bear in mind that if your ethnicity is inquired about, then you are suspected of being black. Heaven, forbid!

You are in the throes of a dilemma that comes with being black. wc.edwards Just as certain privileges and entitlements accrue to anyone born with white skin, the frustration of double-consciousness comes with being born black. As Troy has often observed, conflict in America is as much about class as it is about race. I would add that no matter how you assess the situation, racism remains a factor. When black people are treated like second-class citizens, that's how they respond. As for Obama not fulfilling his promises, most of the blame goes to the Republicans who thwart him at every turn. Their priority is not to make things better for the country but to spite the President because he's black.

The world is in such turmoil at home and abroad. It's the little things that are making a mockery of the most powerful country in the world; the individual acts of murderous terrorists which have such an impact on millions, and the possiblity of mass panic represented by a few cases of Ebola. Or how this entire country could be crippled by a breakdown of its electrical infra structure or its water supply. The British Empire saw the handwriting on the wall, and gracefully retired from its world leadership role. An arrogant America continues to indulge its self-appointed role of policing the world in spite of being hated for trying to foist on others the democracy it doesn't practice at home. I watch Bill Maher's show last night, and I find myself in agreement with him on many issues. He says the doctrines of Islam are more evil than those of other religions, whether all sects are as violent as Isis or not. He quoted other sources who agreed that peaceful Muslims tolerate Christians but live vicariously through the war being waged by a fearless Isis. Kinda like white people who don't belong to the Ku Klux Klan but who have no problem if it thwarts Blacks. Cornel West was a guest panelist on Bill's show and it's clear that, where Obama is concerned, West is not a member of the loyal opposition or a constructive critic, but more akin to a scorned suitor. I've always believed that he is a bitter ol coot nursing a bruised ego because the President hasn't paid homage to him by inviting him to the white house or sought his counsel. I am not a big fan of Obama but I am pushed into his corner every time I hear West's petulant ranting that has to give aid and comfort to Republicans. West was silenced when a white panel member observed that whether the country is in worse or better shape when he leaves office is a determining factor in judging a president, and that Obama's overall record will favor his legacy. In the meantime, I continue to struggle with the intense hate that right-wing conservatives fill me with. I am constantly arguing with them on line, vexed by their sense of white entitlement. I am also not a big fan of how Blacks continue to be their own worst enemy but white racists make me rise to the defense of my people. This Sunday is the final episode of Boardwalk. It will be very interest to see who's left standing. Maybe Nucky and his wife will just say "screw it" and finally consummate their marriage...

My little dig about elitism wasn't directed at you specifically, Troy. It was inspired by Xeon's rant. It's all about balance. It never hurts to know a little bit about a lot of things. IMO. (BTW, there is someone named Richard who has been posting here lately.) As to whether famous people should be considered immune to criticism, they act as though this should be the case They want adulation but can't deal with the slings and arrows that come with having their dirty laundry aired. Celebs don't even seem to be placated when the public likes them in spite of their indiscretions. They want people to have short memories and to only view them in a favorable light. No matter how popular Clinton remains, he still wants his affair swept under the rug.

This re-run was also interesting because of what is happening today in regard to high profile black males and domestic abuse. It reinforces the claim about how it has always gone on but has been ignored or concealed because of the threat it represented to the careers of celebs. It also raises the issue of separating a person's talent from their flaws, and whether the public has a right to pass judgment on a celeb's private life. To me, being famous doesn't make you immune from criticism, and intrusion into one's private life comes with the territory of seeking fame. In the case of Bill Withers, his wife Denise Nicholas had a problem with what was going on in their marriage and she promptly divorced his "talented" ass. I stand by my position that nothing detracts from the fact that there were widely-circulated rumors that Bill Withers was beating up Denise Nichols during their marriage, and her leaving him gave credence to such rumors. Withers and his apologists are simply in denial. Contributors to this thread like Carey, ABM and Xeon advancing their rationales and specious arguments revealed where their priorities lie when it comes to domestic abuse. In regard to the complaints raised about people who dote on the affairs of celebrities, I say this: As someone who strives to be conversant on a broad range of topics because this makes me a more interesting person, I do keep up with what's going on in pop culture; not because I am a fan of its vapidness but because staying current on what's going on with these cardboard figures gives me material to use when ridiculing them during discussions I am informed enough to participate in. Elitists who restrict their awareness of what's going on in the world at large can be bores who take themselves too seriously.

wc. edwards, - or as Troy referred to you, "richard" - I, too, confess to just skimming your last post because of its length and my intent was to read it more thoroughly later; which I just did. Your treatment of this infamous incident made the most of the scenarios it made possible. Giving the racial slant to your interpretation made it compelling. The cigar references, however, were a stretch mainly because, 18 year olds don't really buy cigars for any reason other than to use as a holder for a "joint". (They smoke death-inducing cigarettes, as opposed to cigars which never stay lit and aren't inhaled.) Of course, we are allowed to deviate from the norm when imagining the surreal. A weed-smoker makes an equally interesting protagonist because marijuana cultivates a fertile imagination and being caught smoking it is a misdemeanor which could involve taunting a cop, which could set the stage for a confrontation. A black youth high on marijuana and a white cop drunk with power fill the roles in a drama where death becomes the final act. But, that's another story. Yes, Troy, the ranks among the Boardwalk cast of characters are dwindling. Guess Al Capone wanted to impress his guests, the 2 actors who appeared in the original "Scareface", a movie that starred Paul Muni and George Raft, and who Al introduced to his friends in the Boardwalk script. (Paul Muni played Al) In the other scene where the black guy got shot after bargaining for the freedom of his girlfriend and their daughter, I was singing right along when the song that she recorded played because it's an oldie that I'm familiar with.

With all that continues to happen around the world, I can't quell the stubborn suspicion that has continued to haunt me down through the years. And the suspicion is that somewhere, somehow, some way for some reason, the black race has been cursed! Nothing seems to go its way, the Eboli scourage being the latest example of this. Plagues, poverty, wars and racism continue to be the ongoing fate of the African continent and its diaspora. And the cruelest cut of all is how in this country, the young generation of Blacks are killing each other, not to mention making themselves targets for murdering white police who are just looking for an opportunity to gun down what they perceive as a threat. And languishing away in the prisons, ill-served by the justice system, tapped to be the product of an industry, are a host of black males whose potential was wasted in a system that left them unprepared to do anything but choose crime as a way of life. Cursed, indeed. It's no wonder that here in America, black folks look to Jesus to lift it burdens, including the ones weighing down the shoulders of this nation's first black president, the beleagured Barack Hussein Obama. Prayer seems to be the only place to turm, but even Christ seems to have turned his back on us. Of the 14 men I have seen elected to the highest office in the land, I have never witnessed one so disrespected, so hated, so ridiculed, so criticized, even by some of his own people, than Obama. I have serious doubts if any Secret Service agent would lay down his life for, or take a bullet for this man. He is the whipping boy of the Republicans, especially the conservative right wing of this party. I listen to these bought-and-paid-for political bigots and my gut is filled with revulsion. I really dislike these hacks and their constituencies. Obama is becoming a tragic figure, victimized by circumstances over which he has no control. He is the poster boy for the old adage of being careful what you wish for, because you might get it! But, then, the country, itself, is a mess. What is distrubing is the ineptitude that exists at the top. The Administration resembles the work place of a company rife with inefficiency, where petty office politics hamper progress, where those in charge have been promoted to their level of incompetency, doing the only thing they are proficient at which is passing the buck. Meanwhile, the rich get richer, the poor get welfare, and those in the middle are caught up in taking sides with politicians who represent their prejudices, rather than their best interests. And of course, there's Iraq and Afghanistan and - ISIS. Where to be begin? Terrorism has America by the balls, forcing it into a corner where the most powerful country in the world can't win for losing. Maybe global warming will prevail, and Earth will melt away into oblivion.

The couple's behavior could indicate that they are dissatisfied with the carelessness of the sperm bank and, on a matter of principle, want to teach them a lesson. And why wouldn't they request a baby who was the same race as they are? That's not a sign that they are malicious people who are going to withhold love from an innocent child. What they got was a bi-racial child who is the flesh and blood of its biological mother. So they got half of what they expected. They are apparently making the most of the situation and this includes taking advantage of an opportunity for financial gain. Who's to say that they won't wisely invest any settlement they receive and be fixed for life. I can find more unfortunate children to worry about than this child. It's not like the world isn't full of babies born into challenging circumstances. Implicit in any unplanned pregnancy is the idea that the baby wasn't wanted. But life goes on. I, like many people, was a change-of-life baby that my struggling parents weren't that thrilled to be having. As I got older, and learned this, I found it funny, and me and my mother used to laugh about it. My siblings had a different take. They always accused me of being the favorite because I was the baby of the family. Who knows how convoluted situations will work themselves out. Happiness is fleeting. Leading a comfortable life contributes a person's well being. Money is what makes this attainable. Not wealth, but money. I question whether rich people killing themselves more than poor peole has anything to do with them regretting that they are rich. Whether money makes people happy has nothing to do with them wanting to accumulate it. Money is equated with the security it provides. As for Robin Williams his current drug of choice was alchohol. He was also in the early stages of Parkinson's disease.

How do you know these parents are not happy with this child? They could've given her up for adopdion but they didn't. And pictures of the little girl show her to be an adorable smiling fair-skinned biracial child. (For all we know, this might be a test case to shore up the artifical insemination industry or a court case to set a precedent in case it happens again.) Nowadays nobody gets uptight about the paternity of children because women don't seem to have a problem having babies out of wedlock, and these circumstanes do not necessarily prevent such children from being raised in a loving home. And, of course, poor people and financially insecure people kill themselves everyday, too. BTW, Robin Williams was financially strapped from all the alimony he owed a couple of his ex-wives. Intimates said about him that the fear of going broke contributed to his depression, especially after his TV show was cancelled. And, yes, I am saying that getting a financial settlement will make things easier for this family, and for any other family who is not rich. I concede that money can't buy happiness but I really believe that the average person would rather be unhappy with money than unhappy without it.

What you keep glossing over, Troy, is that the child is the biological offspring of one of the lesbians. So it's her flesh and blood. And who says she wanted a blond blue-eyed baby if she, herself, doesn't possess these traits that millions of Caucasians don't have??? After all, a bi-racial man is president of America and there are a lot of bi-racial individuals who are enjoying much success in this country where Hispanics will soon be the majority, not mention all the successful, tall brown-eyed millionaire basketball players who didn't attend Harvard. Or do I necessarily agree that money won't alleviate this lesbian's situation. It can be used to move away from a hostile environment as well as being put in trust for the kid's education. People who say money doesn't buy happiness are speaking for themselves. An observation that has been attributed to several different people goes: "I've been rich, and I've been poor, and rich is better." Money can solve a multitude of problems and dilemmas. Do you want to be poor? Or do you want Google and FaceBook to stop interfering with your livlihood? Nobody comes into this world with a guarantee that they will lead a well-adjusted happy life."The same fire that melts wax, makes steel hard." Just depends on your innate core personality. I see no reason for this lesbian to adopt a baby if she wants to have child of her own. She went through a procedure and now she has one. If she can capitalize on the inefficiency of a large company, then so be it. She'll have her own baby and a financial windfall to help in raising it.

Well, one of the Lesbian couple was impregnated with the anonymous sperm so the child is actually hers because she gave birth to it. So it's not a given that this child will grow up knowing that her parents didn't really want her.There's no reason to believe that she will not grow up in a loving atmosphere. And money can enable the parents to distance themselves from the circumstances that are negative. Bottom line: none of this would've happened if the sperm bank had done what it was paid to do. They need to pay up.

The character Nucky Thompson in Boardwalk is based on a real life big city boss named Enos "Nucky" Johnson who was a powerful figure in Atlantic City back during the 20s and 30s. The gangsters portrayed were also real people whose real names are used, including the latest addition Joseph Kennedy, father of JFK. whose sideline that made him a fortune in the shady liquor business is well known. I've decided that the things about this series that are so familiar to me are embedded memories. Old pictures of my parents show them dressed in the styles represented in Boardwalk and I was around during the time the photos were taken. The furniture and lamps and rugs and wall paper were the same decor as the house where I grew up. I recognize the songs and even know the words to them because they were played on the radio back then. Now they've become the old standards that can still be heard today in certain nostalgic venues on cable music channels which I frequent often. Not only that, you can see the authentic representations of this era in old movies on TCM cable, movies that I saw as new because as a youngster my mother would take me with her at a theater where she worked and I got to watch these pictures for free when I was 5 and 6 years old. There is something very unique about the 1930s zeitgeist. It reflected a nation just emerging from the zaniness of the "Roarin 20s", tightening its belt with the onset of The Great Depression from which emerged a kind of of cross section between shabbiness and elegance, and a wryness of attitude that was sophisitication and wise cracking. I think all these things exerted an influence on my persona somewhat. It was also during this time that the film noir genre originated in Hollywood. Back to the subject of hallucinating. I had bypass heart surgery in 2008. I never figured out why. I saw an emergency room doctor because of dizzy spells and upon noticing my good insurance coverage, it was decided that I'd be a good candidate for heart surgery altho I never had chest pains or a heartattack. During this extremely invasive surgery, my rib cage was sawed apart and splayed wide open in order to remove my heart and put it on a heart machine while they repaired my valves. I won't go into further details, but my post operative medication included a laudry list of pills. Soon thereafter I started experiencing hallucinations during the "REM" period when I was emerging from sleep. All kinds of people would appear, just there, standing in front of me. One was even a beautiful red bug with a human face. The room would also be aglow with "fairy dust" from time to time. And I had x-ray vision. I would look down at my feet and they would be skelectic. All this was going on with my eyes open but my eyelids were down. Once I raised my lids, the "hallucinations would disappear. During my waking hours there were always dark figures lurking in my peripheral vision. Also if I stared at objects long enough, they would begin to move and spring up at me. None of this was frightening to me; just curious. After I stopped taking many of these meds, all these people I decided I had encoutered when I was "clinically" dead stopped coming to visit me. But I occasionally have flashbacks. Bottom line. My hallucinations were real; just not 3-dimensional.

There is a difference between being dumb and being uninformed. Not having a broad scope of knowledge is what characterizes the Millenials. Being uninformed is no sin, but having an attitude that anything that doesn't engage you is "useless information" or that anything which happened before you were born is not relevant, is what makes this generation appear dumb to others. And why they appear even dumber than the preceding generation is because those who came before them had to find out things for themselves in order to do what the present generation relies on electronic devices to do. Experience is a great teacher but when substituting texting for conversation while avatars become cyber alter egos, what is experienced is shallow. Shallow people can make good fodder for exploitation. This contributes to a stratified population made up of the users and the used. So you literally have to get in where you fit in and figure out a way to sell yourself. You win some, you lose some. It is and always has been a dog eat dog world. ruff-ruff.

I. personally think the lesbians have every right to sue the sperm bank company. There was no excuse for the careless mistake they made. And this mistake certainly sentenced an innocent child to a complicated life that is will be compounded by having lesbians for parents. The same sex couple deserves financial compensation which will help in raising the child they claim to adore and have every intention of keeping in spite of the negative response from certain family members.

I am more in tuned with Troy who implies that the world in general and this country in particular is full of gullible people. As P.T. Barnum said, "there's a sucker born every minute". And there are the con-men and opportunists who take advantage of this. I would agree that all outlets of the media enable exploiters to do their exploiting. The social media in particular fosters frivolity, religious piety, and political polarization. As someone who is frequently accused of being negative, I have observed that people who have their inflated aspirations and impractical dreams exposed to the scrutiny of reality become discouraged and frustrated and they refer to those who don't humor them as being "negative". But there is a difference between being positive and being impractical; a difference between being malicious and being candid. There are gifted charismatic people who respire with the natural positivity of their talent and they will fulfill their potential. But there are legions of people flushed in their inflated self-esteem who overreach and fail because they are deluded. Everybody wants to be a success - a star, and the cream rises to the top. Unless you're the cream, you are relegated to the mainstream. Those who comprise the cream may not achieve great popularity but, more importantly, they earn the respect of their peers. Yes, there are some lucky phonies who have been foisted on the public by movers and shakers who dupe folks into thinking that what they are promoting as gold is actually tin. This is where exploitation comes in. Those who are bamboozled by hype are gullible. Those who see through subterfuge are realistic, not negative. Racism is repressive and it denies individuals the opportunity to become the best they can be. It is genuinely negative because it is instituitionalized and its influence is pervasive and powerful. Blacks have tried to remain positive in their hopes to overcome, but the reality of the situation is that circumventing racism is all that works. Truth is what sets people free. And truth is neither positive nor negative; it is real. IMO

"Boardwalk Empire" is also one of my favorite programs. But I disagree that the characters are not accurately depicted. I don't consider them glamorized. They're portrayed as a pretty motley crew which was the way they were back then in real life. Actors like George Raft and James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson were emulating the gangsters as much as these hoodlum were emulating them. The black characters in this series also strike me as authentic when comparing them to old photographs and what I've read and remember being told by my parents. The era that Boardwalk is now taking place in is particuarly compellling to me. I was only a child during The Depression yet I must've absorbed the essence of this decade by osmosis because the settings and atmosphere as recreated in Boardwalk seem so familiar to me. Also the 1930s was when the Harlem Renaissiance was winding down so this was an interesting time in black hstory. Yes, in the present everything is commercialized and distorted and profit driven. But we have to ask ourselves would we pass up a chance to make the money that would allow us to lead the good life. Everybody is suceptible to materialsim because everybody wants to live well, and making a lot of money is what will enable this wish. Not many people are going to turn down a chance to be part of a process that generates wealth. Or is fair competition the nature of human beings. Winning is the goal. Also to be considered, is that you have to have money to be charitable and philanthropical. And providing entertainment and diversion to a world weary population could even be considerd a public service. And then there's war. Man's eternal quest for power and domination in a world where peace is viewed as being synonymous with weakness has become a way of life. We are a flawed species and if there is a god, he can't be very proud of what he created. So much for religion. BTW, did I hallucinate that CDBurns also appeared on this thread and said something about hallucinations and reality? Did he delete his post? I found his theories provocative. Who is to say that a hallucination is not reality. It exists in our imagination and because it is not an external manifestation does not invalidate it. When deconstructing reality the question that should always be posed is "compared to what?"

The "liberal" Chicago Sun-Times and the "conservative" Chicago Tribune are white-owned daily newsapers and the Sun-Times is the one I subscribe to. I don't know if the black-owned Chicago Defender even puts out a daily edition. It might publish a week-end one and the last time I saw one of these it was a thin tabloid containing a lot of ads with much of its coverage dedicated to Chicago's black social scene and obituaries. Its reporting of national events were reprints of UP and AP news agencies. It's always been hard to pick up a copy of The Defender outside of Chicago. I have no idea what its current circulation is. The Defender has been in deep financial trouble for years and has had to make drastic cuts but the heirs of the original black owner have refused to sell it or accept offers of white syndicates to absorb it in their publishing conglomerates. There are a few small black newspapers serving their local comunities in Chicago. And, as I said, black columnists on the staffs of Chicago's 2 white owned newspapers do represent well for their black readership and never shy away from controversy. I don't know what this proves, but black anchors are also very well represented on the televised newscasts. I tend to think that most senior citizens get their news from TV nowadays. BTW, along with crossword puzzles, the comic pages also command reader loyalty.

I am among the dinosaurs who still subscribe to and read an actual newspaper every day. The circulation figures of the 2 Chicago dailies although down, are not out so the print media is managing to hold its own here. Of course, The Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Tribune do have online versions for those wanting to get their news this way. As for black coverage, both of these dailies have popular black columnists on their staffs who monitor and editorialize about black issues. But not to be underestimated are the reading habits of the senior citizen population whose numbers are impressive. Out of habit, most of these computer illiterate folks still prefer their news via the print media. And would you believe, from what I've heard, crossword puzzles, of all things, are among the features that inspire newspaper loyalty among the older crowd. I can speak for this. My day is not complete until I work one of these challenging passtimes. There is no substitute for the ritual of filling in blanks on a paper page, using a wooden pencil that has a rubber eraser. Who needs Apple tablets and keyboards? Apples are for eating, and tablets for swallowing and keyboards for making music.

Ok, ok, Troy. Points well taken. To your credit, you are a man of convictions and admirable standards. I would agree that media overkill fueled by a profit motive is harmful. And you might consider that there are pundits who are applying this argument to the panic peddling that is leading this country into war as the American media overreacts to Isis' clever use of the internet media to showcase the throat cutting that is goading America into another marathon war. A war that reinforces America's hegemony and will financially benefit the military industrial complex, - all because the media is villainizing and overrating the threat of a relatively small caliphdom of Muslim renegades. Global warming is a legitimate concern, and once everybody gets on board it will give rise to an industry where great profits will be realized. So there's money to be made from the daily ongoing media coverage of this threat. The media even covered the fact that it didn't give enough coverage to the Global Warming protest march staged in NY. Sometimes, buying into a media blitz is about having a good laugh. The elevator episode between Jay-Z and Solange was funny - on so many levels; and it made for the good juicy gossip about the back story. And, yes, the domestic violence issue is being shoved down our throats. But it's fun to watch the NFL bigwigs squirm. And the many different views on the subject of men hitting women and parents spanking children have opened up a dialog that runs the gamut from the ridiculous to the sublime. It's so stupid, it's funny. As for racist incidents being kept alive by the media, take your choice. They can either be swept under the rug and allowed to die or they can be exploited for all they're worth. Reporting about blatant racism does, indeed, translate into TV ratings that rake in money. When it goes away, we won't have to worry about the mercenary media. BTW, in regard to your comments on another thread, Joe Sample's death was fairly well reported. It was all over the Internet, including a plethora of YouTube videos on FaceBook as well as newspaper obituaries and segments on the primetimeTV newscasts. (If you are boycotting and dismissing all of these outlets, you miss things.) And, altho she had a very dedicated black fan base, J. California Cooper was not a high profile, widely-read author. Sad to say, I've heard of her but never read any of her books. But her death was very well noted on FaceBook, too.

I must say, I'm suprised that being in the business you are, Troy, you prefer to tune out what is currently making news because it is negative. And because these noteworthy events are covered by the media which does what a communication organ is expected to do, which is to report the news from different angles, you prefer not to hear about what terrible things are going on in the world. You seem to be saying that if you ignore all the awful occurrences, they will go away, and if you put on blinders and just focus on what you consider to be good things, this will make you more well-adjusted. Hummmm. I would agree that much of what is going on in the world is depressing, but being aware of it makes you a better informed person. We can all find a few things to feel encouraged by, but what they amount to are examples of how things are supposed to be, so this doesn't garner a lot of attention. The world is full of injustice, and unjust conditions are not how things are supposed to be so this arouses public concern To envoke the old cliche, news is about man biting dog, not dog biting man. The key is to strike a balance. Only when we assess the bad can we increase the good. Yes, gratuitous violence on TV and in the movies is, well - gratuitous. But, maybe it's better to get one's violent fix as a passive viewer, than as a perpetrator or victim. Bottom line, it does help if you can distinguish escapism from reality. Speaking of "entertainment", I caught the Jay-Z/Beyonce special on HBO. it covered the Paris, France stop on their world wide tour. I watched and enjoyed it because these two super stars are arguably the best at what they do. They are both very charismatic figures. Jay-Z mesmerizes; Beyonce captivates. They are a power couple of international proportions. They are rich. They are amazing. They are black.

A fascinating deconstruction of an incident that is comparable to a classic Shakespearian tragedy. As for why Michael Brown was stealing cigars, it was implied that stocking up on "blunts" would not be unusual for someone who smoked weed. But this theft was not what triggered the unrelated confrontation with the cop. This encounter supposedly originated with Michael walking down the middle of the street, causing traffic problems and refusing to follow the cop's order to not do this. Also, Michael's gettingh high on marijuana might have given rise to contemplations of an impending doom which became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Brown was also described as an aspiring rap artist. The lyrics to his works could provide some insight by giving an indication of his mind-set. Provocative messages can often be gleaned from the soliloqueys of rappers. Young blacks who populate the street life have been depicted as being disillusioned and fatalistic, embracing an "if-I-die-I-die" attitude. Some even fantasize about going out in a blaze of glory, becoming legends among their peers. They have little else to aspire to. The white shooter, Darren Wilson, would seem to be psychologically unfit for police work. He panicked and used poor judgment. PIctures of this unimpressive figure bring to mind Barney Fife of the Andy Griffin show. Ferguson, Missouri, may actually have something in common with the fictionalized Mayberry, USA, with its police force at about the level of one in a TV sit-com. Except in this episode, comedy turned tragic.

I have a problem with the one-rule-fits-all mindset when it comes to "abuse". The assumption is made that all women are cowering damsels in distress, innocent and helpless and meek, and that children are harmless little angels. The fact of the matter is that some women are passive aggressive shrews who know to provoke a man. And some children are devious little monsters who bully and torture and defy. We do know that testosterone-saturated males have a capacity for violence that is exacerbated by a lack of self-control. Unless we have a family unit made up of well-adjusted sensitive individuals, dysfunction rears its ugly head. The idea that outsiders can arbitrarily pass judgment and administer punishment to abusers has not proven to be a deterrent. Maybe coping skills should be taught in schools, beginning at an early age so anti-social behavior can be nipped in the bud. Yes, this is a simplistic solution for a complicated problem but sometimes brain washing works, especially when offenders are ostracized by their peer groups. Anger management classes for adults, are like closing the door after the horse has escaped. I know this argument will ruffle the feathers of most people but we keep reinforcing solutions that don't work. And the idea that domestic violence, like racism, may go into remission but never go away, contains grains of truth. Humans are their own worst enemy.

What I pick up from you, Delano, is that you are a passive person actively in pursuit of answers about yourself and the world at large. You're very honest and laid back. You do not extend yourself but are responsive to those who reach out to you. You have good instincts about people and are a spiritual as well as an intellectual person. I agree that I have a double psyche. I can think like a man as well as a woman.

I posted these comments on another thread but decided to make it separate post where it could be more prominently displayed and hopefully elicit some opinions from black males Black males are really a popular topic nowadays, whether they are spawning broods of children, or getting gunned down with their hands up, or going upside the heads of their girlfriends. Social media is now all a-twitter over the released videos of Baltimore Raven's Ray Rice punching out his girl friend on a elevator, and then dragging her unconscious body out of it. The NFL's first reaction to this incident was criticized for being too lenient in just imposing a suspension on Rice but is now being questioned for being too harsh after it reversed itself and decided to ban him from football for life. Everybody has an opinion. Pouncing on the opportunity to promote their causes are all the feminist groups and empathetic female sympathizers bemoaning the abuse of Rice's wife. Others consider Rice's punishment excessive, saying that nobody knows what precipitated the situation. Many are advising women to avoid attacking or pushing the buttons of men because this can be dangerous when dealing with dudes who need anger management. Criticism is also being directed at women who tolerate ongoing violence instead of removing themselves from the situation. And, of course, some are even arguing that a good ass-whupping is occasionailly necessary to keep an unruly bitch in line. Obviously a lot of factors figure into this public debate. I have mixed emotions about the situation. I tend to think that people should mind their own business when it comes to the relationships of people they don't know. What goes on between a man and a women is between them, and the release of the videos were certainly an invasion of the privacy of Rice and his partner. In this age of political correctness and knee jerk reactions, the scene is ripe for those with agendas to take up the cause of individuals, and turn them into poster children for their crusades. Sometimes the backstory doesn't always favor the victims, and this provides grist for the mill of the opposition. And it should be noted that Rice's girlfriend is now his wife and has released a statement, defending her husband, blaming the hoopla on the media and declaring the couple's love for each other. Generally speaking, no man should beat up a women because he has an unfair advantage. And women need to realize that there are consequences to provoking a man because you can't depend on him to exercise restraint, especially if you are physically aggressive, yourself. We would like for civility to always prevail in society. But in the real world, it doesn't. Another subject making the rounds on social media are nudie-selfies, and whether people who insta-gram or text naked pictures of themselves to someone should be within their rights to consider themselves victims if these pictures get into the wrong hands and are made public. The argument is being made that it's not about indiscretion or modesty but about the legitimate expectations that one's privacy will be protected. To me, once again, an awareness of consequences comes into play. People are taking a chance when they transmit naked pictures via iPhones and the Interent. Not only do you have to worry about hackers, but you can't be sure that the recipient of these pics won't at a later date decide, for whatever reason, to post them. If you take this chance, then you have to share the blame if your bare body becomes exposed to the cyber world.

What an interesting blast from the past, that was! Certainly brought to mind how much I miss the participation of Chris Hayden and Thumper on this forum. Chris Hayden's wit is priceless. Oddly enough, 4 years later I now find myself more in agreement with him than I was then. Maybe it's because my book will soon be made available and it can definitely be classified as urban chick lit, certainly not a great literary work. In writing this book, I deferred to my Muse, and my rationale is that the "black dude/white broad /black gurl" paradigm is not just something to appeal to bored sistas looking for something they can relate to, but that it is what I like to refer to as a "concise slice of black life", an existence wherein the conflict between black men and women is a "uniquely" ongoing one. I tell myself that a white person or a foreigner or an alien from Mars would learn something from reading "The Only One". OK, so much for plugging this book soon to be available on line as both an E-Book as well as a-print-on-demand one. I further agree with Chris about how nowadays people are more "educated" than "informed", not conversant on a broad scope of knowledge, just familiar with their narrow field of expertise. I also agree with Thumper's lament about how ill-prepared and unmotivated young black kids today are when it comes to reading. I also think Chris made some valid points about "The Literati". A couple of years after the above thread, I read something by Thomas Sowell, the black conservative columnist, who said that smug intellectuals and literary lions feel no oligation to justify their views and critiques - that they are arrogant, self-appointed authorities brandishing their academic crendentials, dictating to others what they should believe or read. Nobody calls them on this because they are purveyors of ideas not facts, so they don't have to prove anything. Consequently readers are often told what they should like and why they should like it, when it comes to literature. Nevermind if these vaunted works don't captivate your interest. "The Great Gatsby" has been called the greatest American novel ever written. I wasn't particularly impressed with it. Proust? Well, if you like books where a single sentence goes on for page after page, he will certainly challenge your ability to concentrate. Hemingway? Just the opposite; a minimalist with a staccato style that lacks flow, whose stories were more esoteric than compelling to me because they entailed times and places that didn't inspire me to want to know more about. Whatever. I do like Toni Morrison because her books are character-driven, and are about people who hold your interest because you've never met anyone like them. I've read Stephen Carter's looong-ass books just to prove to myself that I can comprehend what he is saying in his convoluted writing style. Books of the horror or fantasy genre can still command my attention, also. Troy is on point in his final assessment of the current state of black literature. I regret to say that I am not familiar with any new black novelists of the literary world. Their books don't call me. I don't know why this is. For some reason I am drawn mostly to non fiction, memoirs or books about the American black experience during certain historical eras. Long drawn-out books, or ones about foreign countries don't excite my interest. I also confess to being more amenable to movies, and documentaries and TV sagas as opposed to books that I, in my old age, have begun to forsake. Considering that I am a black novelist, myself, hyping a novel that could be criticized for its literary merit, - a someone who admires well informed people yet harbors no enthusiasm for books about foreign countries, what does that make me??? Ambiguous. tsk-tsk.