Cynique

I thought the interviewer patting Claude on the shoulder and helping him finish his sentences was at least paternalistic.  Brown's message is current because it seems to be the mindset of a lot of today's wayward black males.  He  apparently didn't want to let The System off the hook by blaming the victims of circumstances.  In his book, he was more introspective. 

The colorful art work depicted in tombs, on  pyramids and in hieroglyphics should be an accurate indicator of the color of the people who are the subject of such illustrations.  Are there any artifacts that actually show people with black skin?  All visual records seem to be of people with a neutral skin shade like King Tut's. (Oil paintings by latter day artists don't count.)

To me, the bible has always been a case of who is doing the interpretation of the lore and legend being hyped by priests or translated by drunk monks. And, apparently, even waaay back then the deepness of skin tone was associated with being cursed, so colorism has always been a factor that inspired prejudice.  

BTW, has any one ever determined what "god" looks like?  There's a rumor going around that she's black.   

I will stand corrected on any of the observations I expressed here because I'm definitely not a student of the bible. which I've never believed to be divine in origin; more like an ancient almanac.              

@TroyI've forgotten Claude Brown and what an admirer I became of him after reading "Manchild in the Promised Land".  This book was required reading for all of us budding  activists back in the early 1960s and really had an impact. Especially for those of us who knew nothing about the lifestyle he described growing up on the drug-drenched, crime-infested streets of Harlem. 

The cigarette-smoking, the reference to black people as "negroes", and  the government as "the power structure", the white interviewer's condescending attitude really dated the video.  But Brown's message remains current and relative. 

My book review of  "Man Child"  won first place in a contest sponsored by the Sunday literary section of the Chicago Sun-Times. My prize was another best-seller back then, entitled "Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex But Were Afraid To Ask".  I don't remember anything about the contents of that book. I do remember feeling sad upon hearing of Claude's death in 2002.    

Hillary did win the popular vote. Put the blame on the electoral college!! With a soon-to-be octogenarian president who is in questionable health, we may have a female president before you know it.  And a black one at that.

@ProfDThanks for sharing!

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

Our perception of being intellectually superior to primitive animals is a form of narcissism.  For as smart as humans beings think they are, we do a lot of dumb and unnecessary sh8t.  Some of it even leads us to an early nap in the cemetery.

 

Your statement is a platitude.  Animals are not smarter than humans. They, too, do dumb things. That's why humans run the world and not animals who for the most part are at the mercy of humane people and why a lot of animal species  have become extinct or are endangered species. Animals do serve a purpose but part of that purpose is about making life better for mankind.

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

As a gambling man, I'm putting my money on the Supreme Being keeping procreation under wraps.  Human beings will never be able to clone themselves to the point of significant viability.

You'll never win that bet because neither of us will be around 100 years from now,  but i'll  bet that society will be drastically different 100 years hence, and that includes how the sexes conduct themselves. i think the environment and computerization  will have an impact on people., both sexually, and mentally and that change is inevitable.  

1 hour ago, ProfD said:

as a musician and a philosopher, there are no limits to the expanse of my imagination.  It is easy to do but unwise to make assumptions solely based on written words on a discussion forum.

i can't help but conclude that your imagination is selective because your faith in a Creator is entrenched as are your stated beliefs about the inertia of the human race. Do you dare to imagine that in the future life might become drastically different, maybe even better????  You seem to be in a rut and resistant to change except maybe  when it comes to the key of a song you're playing. 

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

Human beings have been around for thousands of years and it still takes a man and a woman to procreate.  Not two dudes or two chicks.  No third sex has emerged either.

 

Human sexuality has always been the same too.  But, there's a  reason bisexuality and homosexuality is considered unnatural throughout most of the world. 

@ProfDHaving bi-sexual relationships and a third sex doesn't interfere with procreation. People can alternate between male and female partners if they want off spring. A third sex might have both organs and be able to reproduce itself. There are humans classified as "hermaphrodites" who may be in the forefront of this eventually taking place.

Science is also exploring the capability  of women being able to clone themselves because they have an egg that is a compete package and a womb just waiting to incubate.  All the sperm does, is contribute its gene package and determine the sex of a  zygote. The reason all of this hasn't happened already is because science and technology haven't advanced to that point. But that doesn't mean it won't. There was a era in the past when human development spontaneously accelerated and a lot happened in a short period of time.

There is also the question of whether what you attribute everything to isn't what or who you think it is since it's religion in nature, and based on faith rather than science.  This is a New Age, and  the possibilities are infinite.  But,  apparently, your imagination isn't. 

58 minutes ago, Delano said:

Lions are instinctual, humans are rational.

"Viva la Difference!"    Why should we let wild animals dictate the standards for our behavior and relationships?  Why should their primitive pecking order be our guide? When lions learn to read, write and do arithmetic and how to out run fawns and outwit hyenas and elude poachers then they can call the shots! 

12 minutes ago, ProfD said:

However, no one should force or impose their choices on others.

 

At the same time, folks should not get bent of shape when others do not agree with and/or support their choices.

 

Nobody should be abused and/or mistreated for their choices as long as they are not in violation of others. 

 

Every tribe can find like-minded members.  Ideally, we should live and let live. 

This is the stance of the LBQT community who merely want to be accepted for what they are. The ones opposing them are who are doing the carping and complaining. 

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

 

Male and female lions know their roles instinctively.  There is no confusion.

Allowing his mate to do the hunting while he sleeps all day waiting around for her to go into heat, killing any cubs he didn't father and kicking those he did out of the pride to maintain his dominance, doesn't impress me as an ideal model that should be translated into the present human life style. But the rampant male ego obviously comes into play here.

7 hours ago, Chevdove said:

I don't believe it has anything to do with the context of mondern society. It is all about science and nature and modern society will not be able to change that no matter how much of a movement is being pushed on us to accept. 

Society may not be able to physically alter male and female distinctions, but the science you speak of will be able to explain why, as the human species continues to evolve, change will occur on its own making bisexuality the norm. A third sex might even emerge.  The longer Mankind exists, the more mutations and aberrations will transform it.  Nothing stays the same. There's no telling what will gradually come about and will be considered natural 100 years from now. The generations resisting this fluidity will become the past, not the future.  

2 hours ago, Stefan said:

Yes, I watched part of the competition. We are phenomenal. 

@StefanYou, like Greg, apparently think the  "Superior Race" headline was about anthropology instead of athletics. As Ihad to  explain to Greg,  it was a pun, a "play-on-words"  that I mistakenly thought everybody would "get".  The Greg character makes himself a target of ridicule. Nobody takes him seriously, but you. 

What I noticed about the comments on this post. which was originally a negative dig about black women's behavior, was how quick all the black guys were in adding to the accusations as they proceeded to ridicule, dismiss and blame black women for what they perceived them to be, giving them very little credit for anything not connected with sex. 

But, oooh. the blubbering and bitching that broke out as soon as the subject of black manhood being compromised was broached. The response was an exercise in self pity and petulance over "brothas" being  emasculated by the racist media. Frustration abounded as they whined about being "sissified" and "pussified". Indignation raged about others not seeing them as they see themselves, - the epitome of how men are supposed to be. 

Inevitably, the subject of racial unity came up, but the connection between it and the strained relationship between black men and black women was glossed over, no acknowledgement made of how this gap can be a hindrance to the goal of black unity. However, until  brothas refrain from aiding and abetting the put-down of black women by whites, racial unity will remain elusive. 

Infatuation covers a multitude of foolishness. 

Well, could be because "art is imitating life".  All black men are not heroic brilliant paragons of masculinity and noble character - nor are all white men. Why look to the media to do what black men can do for themselves: present good images and exemplify admirable role models. America is run by white people who apparently don't feel the need to cater to the demands of its black minority. That's life, fellas. We've established the African Americans are not monolithic. And all of the hair-tearing and breast-beating for black unity will never amount to anything but misery loving company.  So black men should just  be the best they can be and try to set good examples for the kids they father. Each one, teach one. Stop expecting reality to conform to your dreams.

@Pioneer1 I see plenty of black men in traditional and tough guy roles on TV dramas, as guests on talk shows  and in movies - the way they appear in real life, where they run the gamut in types, - they don't all have swag or are cool and  arrogant.   Just like all black women are not loud and feisty and aggressive! 

@Xeon  Where you been??????

Bill at age 88, and Nichelle at age 89, were my contemporaries and trail blazers in their fields. We were young, middle-aged and old together.  I'm lucky to still be here, and I don't take tomorrow for granted.  RIP, my TV friends.   

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

A battlefield full of men wouldn't be allowed to sit around crying and "feeling some kinda way" because someone said or did something they didn't like. Man up. 

@ProfDYou've obviously never been around veterans in the throes of post traumatic stress caused by seeing their buddies blown to bits and holding back the tears.  Have you ever seen surviving veterans weeping at the Viet Nam memorial wall, after having run their hands over the engraved name of a fallen comrade.  Tears are not a sign of weakness. they are a human reaction, to tragedy in particular. 

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

We take great pride in being men. 

This is a myth perpetuated by men.  There is a reason why the female of the species is the one that goes through child birth. LoL

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

I wonder why they don't show gay white men in the same manner. 

Television is saturated with white gay men in both sit-coms and talk shows and as the other half of an interracial gay couples in commercials. 

2 hours ago, ProfD said:

he last thing the system wants to see is strong black men. Especially if strength encourages unity. Unstoppable force

They fear black brain  power more than black brawn and bluster. 

2 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

"Flamboyance" is a poor choice of words.

Extreme confidence, swag, or even arrogance would have been better to describe the natural personality of most Black males.

@Pioneer1Dating back to the days of the Cake Walk and minstrels and the Zoot suits during the 1940s black men have been peacocks. I guess you had your eyes closed during the bellbottoms and platform shoes and huge afros era or the colorful hip hop garb and the flashy  disco attire, not to mention the grills and bling rappers sported. Your image of black men is over-rated wishful thinking. 

Something tells me  as long as she's lived, she apparently hasn't learned TOO much or she wouldn't continue talking shit, lol.
As long as she's lived, she should KNOW better by now...lol

But I guess some people never learn....lol.

Guess her and her "alter ego" gotta be put in their place.
...back in that dark dank closet.

'Guess pioneer got bogged down in the dank septic tank.  At least this saves him the embarrassment of being exposed as chicken shit. 

@ProfDI hear black men making this arguments all the time.  And i question them as I will question you.  Could you be turned into an effeminate male if an attempt was made to do so to you? Nobody or thing can turn someone into something they do not already have tendencies to be.  Gender does not automatically coincide with genitals at this stage in human development.  it's about how the brain is wired. Clothing and other superficial trappings are neutral. They are just inanimate material and do not affect an individual's core personality. Tradition dictates what males and females wear. Trends dictate style.   Not all males are athletic or macho,  If anything is forced upon them it's the idea that this should be the case. The flamboyance of black men is in their DNA and doesn't have to be a part of a conspiracy.

The collective consciousness to make life easier for children than it was for their parents wields a lot of influence.  This accounts for endowing children with an inflated sense of self esteem and the need to reward mediocrity.  Men are separated from the boys when they enter the real world and, as has always been the case, the strong survive.

Meanwhile, the agenda of Liberal Democrats advocates for the inclusion and acceptance of those who are "different".  Conservatives want to exclude those who do not conform to their "norm". And so it goes.  

@ProfDThen there are the "idiot-savants" who, though intellectually retarded, do have one extraordinary talent such as hearing a song once and being able to immediately play it on the piano, an instrument they have mastered without lessons. These types also do things like being able to reproduce something they have seen only once before applying their extraordinary artistic skills to draw it perfectly. Others have phenomenal memories for trivial facts and figures.  These "one-hit-wonders" are examples of what the human mind is capable of via of aberrations. Many handicapped people are able to cope and maneuver because their other organs  take over and compensate for the disabled ones as in the 6th sense blind people develop, and the people born without arms whose feet and toes and legs take up the slack.  We can agree that the brain in conjunction with the mind is a miraculous thing with untold possibilities! If Homo Sapiens continues to evolve, who knows what might be the result. 

@DelI think there might be a psychic connection between mothers and their babies.  I also find it interesting that many nursing mothers say that if they are out alone somewhere and hear any baby cry, they start to lactate.  Their mammary glands are apparently conditioned to respond to a crying baby, instinctively if not psychically. 

@ProfDScientists say that humans only use a small portion of their brains, implying that we have the capacity to be more mentally cognizant  than we are,  and that we just have to develop our innate powers. 

@DelWhat i have observed is that truly gifted psychics don't boast.  As usual, it's the ones bragging about being  clairvoyant who are just charlatans who have to pick your brains to get information. I sometimes wonder if a computer picks up or transmits thought waves and whether you can energize or weaponize your words when  engaging with another person on line. 

The number 9 does seem to be mathematically curious, the way you can multiply it by the numbers 2 through 10 and the 2 digit answers you get, will always equal 9 when added together. (e.g.: 2x9=18 and 1+8=9, 3x9=27, and 2+7=9. and so on up to 10. Btw, according to my count, women have 10 body orifices. LOL

5 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle.  Gasp, Gasp, Gasp. Glub, Glub, Glub.

I'll always remember the wanna-be pioneer whose logic failed him, making him incapable of figuring out why flies buzzed around him . smh  Sometimes you have to flush twice. Here it goes again... Done!  (Something tells me that this deluded loser also couldn't figure out that I haven't lived as long as I have by being  easily hurt  or intimidated by wimps. The motto of my alter-ego, Super Bitch, is "bring it on". ) 

I ponder about whether, as has been theorized, that we exist in the Universe and the Universe exists in us by way of the "as above, so below" postulation.  I wonder if our consciousness manifests itself in different dimensions of reality, some physical others spiritual.  The "who"  that  is "me"  has experienced different environments by simply closing my eyes after which i am "wandering" in a  world different from the one where I physically exist when my eyes are open. A version of myself seemingly exists in other manifestations, one of which is a  dream world that comes into being not only when I close my eyes,  but after I fall asleep and become the main character in scenarios that are either bizarre or reminiscent.   

I am fascinated by another postulation claiming that the answer to every question exists in a stratospheric knowledge bank known as the "Woo".  I am equally fascinated by the enigmas of quantum physics, a realm where the holy grail of our very being could be found!  There's a lot of talk in the metaphysical community about the contemplation of all of these mysteries being a gateway to becoming awakened. All of this is what challenges my imagination which, in turn, fortifies my essence.

What I know for sure is that everybody has their own way of exploring Life, and that nobody really cares about my journey. But - it's a slow day.... 

I have been trying to conjure up some numbers to play for the Billion-dollar Mega Lottery here in the states.  I relax, close my eyes, clear my mind, and just wait, hoping some numbers will appear before me.  The odds of matching 5 numbesr and 1 mega ball number with the ones drawn, are astronomical but - it's fun to imagine what i would do if i won all that money.  Probably have a heart attack and croak. It's a win lose situation: If I'm psychic about numbers, i might be psychic about my reaction.   

@Del I guess synchronicity and coincidence are not considered paranormal activity, possibly falling under the "supernatural" heading. I and and others I know often experience synchronicity when we  receive phone calls shortly after we were just thinking about the person who's calling us.  This is  a regular occurrence between me and my kids. No sooner do I wonder about one of them than the phone rings and its who I was just thinking about!  This might be a case of our thought waves being transmitted  via the phone lines, a connection having to do with electrical impulses, - something that is  a "super" version of what is "natural". No? 

i don't know what the phenomenon that I also regularly experience, is an example of.  But when I'm doing 2 certain things at once, specifically typing on a keyboard while "listening"  to the television or reading while listening to the television, a word or phrase that I am typing  or reading is also being said on the TV at the very same time!  Troy(?) once explained this as being like how when you buy a new car, all of a sudden when driving, you start frequently seeing the same model you just bought...     

A lot of people believe there is no such thing as coincidence, that certain events are pre-destined to happen at an opportune time. I  don't know about this. There's a lot of random activity in life.  People take comfort in believing in karma, in what goes around, coming around, but some folks breeze through life getting away with doing wrong, while others are rewarded with nothing but hard luck for doing right.  And, of course, there's the idea that we get what we having coming in accordance with how we lived in another life...  Who knows?  Life is full of mysteries.       

@Forum Regulars: Not only is this pioneer turd  a loser but he's a weirdo who has a thing for flies - and ends a sentence with a preposition.  You're right, Del, it's useless to waste one's time on something not worth it.  The toilet needs to be flushed... Done.