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Cynique

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Posts posted by Cynique

  1. The ego is a double-edged sword. It is at its best when a person is confident enough to be self-deprecating. These modest types always seem to be people who have the most going for themselves and whose accomplishments speak for themselves.

    Countries can be comparable to males who can't get it up and have to prove themselves with saber rattling. Old men sending young men to die in battle.

    Where do women fit into this equation?? I can't be objective enough to make a judgment. But in the midst of their vanity, women do seem to know that a man's ego is his archilles heel.

  2. Well, looks like Madea got the last laugh. Tyler Perry's attempt to banish the ol gal didn't translate into box office gold. The one review I read of his new movie "Alex Cross" panned it and early indications don't give it much of a chance to do nearly as well as any of Tyler's other openings.

    One has to wonder if Perry's core fan base are people who are big book readers or are even familiar with the Alex Cross character. The advance trailers of the movie were dark and intense, not inspiring anything to laugh about. When it comes to totin a gun and making threats, Meadea seems to have kicked Alex's ass. :o

    • Like 1
  3. Because gang related violence has become so rampant in this country’s inner cities, attempts to focus on this problem have taken on celebrity involvement. Recently ABC news anchor, Diane Sawyer, showed up in Chicago to cover a gang summit being sponsored by Father Michael Pfleger, local hero, activist Catholic priest, and the white leader of an all black congregation. These high level meetings between the hierarchy of Chicago’s gangs have been held before and have not worked or will they ever because guards can never be lowered and ground never conceded. Reputations have to be maintained.

    What I find compelling about the situation is the reaity of what is at the root of a lot of the violence. Poverty and lack of jobs and the breakdown of the family don’t tell the whole story. It’s assumed that the wanton slayings are all gang-related, all about turfs and drugs and retaliations . But a lot of the killings are actually personal vendettas by macho cowards, - nonentities who are so consumed with their need to feel important that they cannot deal with rejection.

    Time and time again a familiar scenario is what triggers murder and mayhem. Someone is having a party with family and friends when an individual or a group crashes the affair and after stirring up trouble, are asked to leave. The second act of this drama plays out with the resentful offenders showing back up with a gun to shoot up the place. Other situations involve love triangles where one rival will gun down his cock-blocking competitor. Even making longer than necessary eye contact between adversaries can lead to drawn weapons. Any act of disrespect shown by one homie toward another, be it on a playground or at the club or on a FaceBook wall, or at a funeral for a murdered friend is grounds for pulled triggers. What used to be settled with fists is now finalized with guns in the hands of those who invaribly slaughter innocent bystanders, all in the ritual of proving one’s manhood by getting even.

    Unfortunately, this need to beat one’s chest doesn’t restrict itself to the ghetto. A more cold-blooded version exists across the board on all levels of society and can even lead to war. When the collective ego of one country is insulted by the collective ego of another country, battle lines are drawn.

    It's a fact life that an insatiable ego is an intrinsic part of all living creatures. It’s the nature of the beast to take offense at anything that constitutes a slight, and threatens one’s self esteem or, worse yet, exposes one’s insecurity.

    All cooler heads advocate replacing false pride with peace and love, citing these virtues as being the source of true strength because they call for the restraint that saves lives. "Blessed be the peacemakers", but everybody didn’t get the memo. The ruthless ego will not be denied. It rules everywhere as lions fight to be king of the jungle, - and men fight to be king of the hill. Crushing a threat to your status gives the ego an erection.

    That damned ego is at the root of all the problems of the world because it goes hand in hand with the quest for power. And power corrupts.

    God, you sure screwed up when you created us - in your image...

    • Like 9
  4. The bible condemns adultry but doesn't have a problem with polygamy. Guess if you cheat on one wife with another wife, that's OK. The bible is remarkably chauvinisitc and mysogynistic. Couldn't even give Jesus' companion and confidante Mary Magdalene her props. She is branded as a prostitute, a fallen woman who Jesus saved.

    Males wrote the bible and preachers preach it. They just pick and choose which parts they want to honor. Boys will be boys.

  5. I checked out the re-runs of the debate between Romney and Obama and all I could think of was that here were 2 candidates for President of the United States circling each other like street fighters, verbally sparring and getting in each other's faces, dissin and representin like gang members. This is what the contest for the job of arguably the most powerful man in the world has sunk to; 2 dudes bickering about who's the biggest liar. Bizarre.

    Aiding and abetting this farce is the salivating news media with its talking heads parsing and anaylysing and taking polls and the chaotic social media with Twitter and FaceBook blowing up, as everybody takes sides, Republicans and Democrats cheering on their favorite spin master. Of utmost importance is who's pink dress looked better, between Michelle Obama's and Ann Romneys. And right there in the thick of things is the indignation of Liberals over Romney's use of the phrase "binders of women" in reference to female job applicants at his disposal - or something. Meanwhile Obama was vetted about when he declared the attack on American diplomats in Libya a terrorist act. Boy, did he go into an academy award performance in lashing out at his opponent over this. Later Romney told the POTUS to pipe down until he finished making his point. Not to be outdone, the moderator of the "debate" overstepped her bounds and jumped into the fray. Ridiculous

    This is a circus. It would be hilarious if the stakes weren't so high. "O tempora,O mores." How much longer does the Empire have left??? What does the future hold for "Pax Americana"???

    Got me a ring side seat. Hope this ol broad can last long enough to see how it all ends... :huh:

  6. Have you noticed 2 words that are being tossed around a lot, Troy? Now people speak about "half-truths" and "factoids". Nobody bothers with absolutes any more. Arguments are regularly made which incorporate selected info to make a desired point..

    Quantum physics are being translated into the human dynamic. In quantum physics, looking at an object brings it into focus but things change when you're not looking at it. Viewing something with your eyes integrates it. Looking away disintegrates it. The nature of reality is elusive. Subjectivity and objectivity have become abstract.

    I sometimes wonder if this world just exists in the whimsical imagination of a Higher Intelligence To me, contemplating this is more stimulating and mindboggling than who will be the next POTUS. :o

  7. It ain't Monday but these letters to advice columnist Abigail Van Buren are funny anyhow. A warm up for the upcoming presidential debate.

    Dear Abby,

    What can I do about all the Sex, Nudity, Fowl Language and Violence on my VCR?

    Dear Abby,

    I have a man I can't trust. He cheats so much, I'm not even sure the baby I'm carrying is his.

    Dear Abby,

    I am a twenty-three year old liberated woman who has been on the pill for two years. It's getting expensive and I think my boyfriend should share half the cost, but I don't know him well enough to discuss money with him.

    Dear Abby,

    I've suspected that my husband has been fooling around, and when confronted with the evidence, he denied everything and said it would never happen again.

    Dear Abby,

    I was married to Bill for three months and I didn't know he drank until one night he came home sober.

    Dear Abby,

    My mother is mean and short tempered I think she is going through mental pause.

    Remember, these people probably watch fox news and can vote!

    --

    ******

    • Like 1
  8. Yada, yada, yada, Nah'whatever. Yeah, you got a life, all right, stuck in your hIp-hop mode, a hopeless personification of Arrested Development. :wacko:

    I've lived my life, and when you're a retired lady of leisure like me, the life I have left is made more amusing by people like you who are clueless as to what a joke you are. :blink:

    Vacation, hell, You were probably somewhere curled up in a fetal position, sucking your thumb, trying to convince yourself that you matter. You and carey make a good couple. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum. :P

  9. I'm almost speechless over the direction Society seems to be taking. The Internet and all of these hand-held electronic gadgets are as much a curse as they are a blessing. You could offer the same excuse about these devices as folks do about guns. They are just enablers for what people want to do. And a couple of the more popular things people like to do is bully or make a sex tape - if they can stop texting longer enough.

    In this social media realm, everybody wants what they don't have. Nonentities want to become famous and YouTube is a venue for attracting attention. Celebrities want to guard their privacy and the paparizzi invade it.

    FaceBook has become a gigantic bulletin board where people can post their messsages and share their lives and vent their anger. It's like a vast refuge from the real world where nobody really gives a damn about your politics and your exceptional children and your trust in the lord...

    And, course, there's reality TV. What can I say?

  10. What passes for "news" on TV never ceases to amaze, me either, writergirl. After a certain time the reports are simply recycled and are more like the "olds".

    I could make watching highlights of the debate between Biden and Ryan #12 on on the list of "things that make my eyes roll upward", except that - the bickering between these 2 just made my eyes go out of focus. First "Slick Willie Clinton" and now "Shoot-from-the-hip-Biden" have had to come to the rescue of the Democrats. OK, Barack "Al Green" Obama, it's your turn to impress an audience.

    • Like 1
  11. I'm. sure all of the NRA members, whose numbers must be very high in Alabama, won't be so quick to give their usual rationale about guns being innocent and trigger-happy people being guilty. There was no excuse for the cops not to use a taser. It's always sad when a parent raises a child and sends him off to college only to have him murdered at the tender young age of 18. :(

    In the Chavis Carter case, it's hard to get justice when the police kill the only credible witness. Guess the poor guy was guilty of breathing while black. :huh:

  12. Unless you're blind and deaf it's hard to avoid life's little aggravations delivered to you on a daily basis courtesy of the media in all of its forms. This is the motivation for me letting my pet peeves out of their cage.

    The top 10 things that make my eyes roll upward

    1. The gloating eagerness of celebrity moms to reveal how quickly they’ve regained their slim figures after relieving themselves of the baby bumps they were equally anxious to show off to an indifferent world.

    2. So called “right-to-life" zealots who don’t realize that, by applying their warped standards, a female’s expelling of an unfertilized egg every month is the equivalent of an abortion. ( An example of what can be concluded when one group imposes its beliefs on another.)

    3. Black Americans who wear the synthetic Rasta dread locks that are exhibitionist rather than significant. At least weaves are indigenous of the ghetto-fabulous culture.

    4. The food nazis who take the joy out of living by telling you everything you like to eat is bad for you, hoping to turn you into a stomach-growling label reader. Or worst yet, a smug vegan.

    5. Making a big deal of coming out of the closet. Who cares how you prefer to “get it on”? It’s not as if straight couples can’t make-out in bed the same way as Gays do.

    6. The way public officials regularly embezzle huge amounts of taxpayer’s dollars, living lavish life styles until they are caught and given a slap on the wrist. Because they are perpetrators of white collar crimes they are apparently deemed less guilty than petty drug dealers doing 10 years in prison for selling weed.

    7. How boring wedding dresses all look. Brides nowadays seem to have no more imagination than to choose the same style of wedding dress as everyone else; a sleeveless, strapless gown designed to show a lot of skin while featuring the requisite heart-shaped bust-line that squashes your bulging boobs.

    8. Dufus comedian Steve Harvey’s limited range of common knowledge that is exposed every time he’s surprised when a contestant’s answer matches the survey on Family Feud.

    9. Angelina Jolie, who looks like a poster girl for anorexia, concerning herself with world hunger and needy children while dragging that rag-tag brigade of waifs around accompanied by a deer-in-the-head-lights-Brad Pitt.

    10. Politicians instructing God to “bless America”, the implication being that this be done while kicking the rest of the god-damned world to the curb.

    559493_393511094055364_1631557047_n.jpg

    :lol:

    • Like 8
  13. I think Tyler is pretty good at giving talented blacks a leg-up, writergirl. He financed and produced the play "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuff" so he could give overlooked black actresses a show case for their skills. He also built a big film studio in Atlanta which provided a lot of jobs for black folks. I think he is fairly empathetic to the plight of down and out people who just need a break. That's my general impression.

    • Like 1
  14. :lol: I hear ya, Troy. MoTown was a black phenomenon, the likes of which we'll probably never see again in any medium. Barry Gordy had the advantage of having a product that was new and different: R&B music. A black publisher coming on the scene today wouldn't have anything new to introduce to the book world. A book is a book. What the orientation of the characters are is incidental. Back to square one.
  15. White James Patterson is one of the world's best-selling authors, and as such has done what no black writer has been able to pull off with any degree of success. He launched a popular series about a black law enforcement character named Alex Cross and has enjoyed enormous success with this venture.

    Careful to avoid stereotypical charactors, Patterson has portrayed Alex Cross as a super negro, a brilliant, handsome forensic psycholgist who is indespensable to Washington DC‘s Metropolitan police department. Morgan Freeman played Alex in a couple of movies but he was too old to do so in the first place and has now been retired from the role. So who is our latest Alex Cross? Taking time off from his cross dressing conversion into a gun toting hell-raiser, settling for second best after a campaign to be the first black James Bond failed, Tyler Perry has snagged the role of the new Alex Cross. Cute Tyler Perry with his pudgy apple cheeks, cupid's bow lips,and twinkling eyes. Where's Blair Underwood when we need him. Nevermind.

    Tyler is not only versatile and mega rich but he is a shrewd business man who is to be commended for not forgetting his roots and giving back. Now it's time for him to be a visionary. What better way to cap a successful career than to start a black publishing company that would liberate black authors from the whims of the big white publishing houses who focus on profit rather than quality. And with his good friend Oprah as an ally, he’d have a ready-made marketing tool.

    Somewhere out there is a black James Patterson, who should be capitalizing off of books popularizing interesting black characters - that Tyler can make into movies. A win-win situation. No?

    • Like 1
    • I found the article below which not surprisingly appeared on the Fox News site interesting because it's an example of how this election is not only polarizing the country but is reinforcing a rift in the black community. Voting for Obama has become a litmus test for a person's blackness. Race still matters. This time next month what will the situation be?? I hope the election is not a close one because I don't know what Blacks will do if Obama loses. Will they simply be demoralized or will they be in a rebellious state of mind??
    • I think white people will handle a Romney loss better. They are not passionate in their support for his candidacy but have lost confidence in Obama and simply want change.
    • I also believe the electoral college might be on its last legs as America embarks on a path where in the future the "United States" will be a misnomer.
    • We shall see...

    Clueless” star Stacey Dash recently tweeted her support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, accompanied by a patriotic swimsuit picture of herself.

    But now her political viewpoint has become the subject of online attacks, with many expressing crude distaste that she isn’t endorsing President Obama – and race has become a key motivator behind the digital abuse.

    “You’re an unemployed black woman endorsing Mitt Romney. You’re voting against yourself thrice. You poor beautiful idiot,” one Twitter user wrote, while @Black Voice wrote, “Stacey Dash had a perm since birth. I knew I couldn’t trust her.. lol.”

    Others accused the actress of “voting for white supremacy,” claiming she “is white with a dark tan,” and calling Dash a slew of offensive names.

    Several other Obama supporters even went as far as to encourage “the old hag” to “kill herself.” One suicide encourager is listed as a doctor and politically active Democrat in Washington D.C., and although he reportedly has deleted the inflammatory “kill yourself” tweet, it was captured by social media news site, Twitchy.comexternal-link.png.

    But Dash seems to be taking the backlash in stride.

    “My humble opinion… EVERYONE is entitled to one,” she tweeted in response.

    But the 46-year-old's plug for Romney attracted plenty of applause, too.

    “Thank you for being willing to think for yourself despite what your haters have to say,” tweeted one user, while another noted, “You can NEVER, EVER (did I say never?) NEVER leave the Dem party if you r Black. Once you do, the name calling begins.”

    Dash did not respond to a request for further comment.

    • Like 5
  16. You don't have to wait, Troy. You're a legend in your own time considering all you have accomplished. ;)

    I'm still a fan of that ol dinosaur, called television. If you have expanded cable, there are really a wealth of educational programs and documentaries that are soooo interesting and informative to watch. I hardly ever look at prime time TV anymore. I prefer The Science, The Discovery. The National Geographic,The Smithsonian, and The Learning (TLC) channels. And because I like my crime shows to be authentic I also watch The ID channel which features true crime docu-dramas. I still like live sport shows, too, and, of course, PBS which ol MItt is threatening to cut funding for.

    We all knock the media, but it can also provide informative and riveting entertainment whether it be via TV or the Internet.

    BTW, back in 1917, during WWI a brigade of black soldiers landed in France and, later, were also honored by France for their bravery on the battle field.

  17. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ What an unoriginal thought that last paragraph was, carey. Pulleeze. That's what me and Troy and writer-girl have been saying all along, dufus. All you do is read a thread and then re-cycle everything others have said, in an attempt to sound like you have some sense. (With no success, I might add.) :wacko:

    Expressing those sentiments is in direct contrast to your post on the other forum where you had the gall to lecture me because I challenged Nah'Sun on his entrenched views. But it figures. You always did blubber out of both sides of your big mouth. :blink:

  18. Do you ever know what the hell you're talking about in your ongoing efforts to monitor and moderate what goes on here, carey? Does it ever occur to you that as "you see it" may be skewed because of your resentment of me? You're the one in denial. Input by Troy and writergirl were the points that were not well taken by Nah'Sun as he continued to blow them off. None of us ever said that he didn't know what he was talking about, but when it came to me, he preferred to tap dance around everything I said because he couldn't bring himself to concede that I was not totally wrong in my impressions of hip-hop. Of course you can't discern this because you're too busy suckin up to Nah'Sun, probably hoping he'd check out your bog, - oops I mean blog.

    And why would I be jealous because Nah'Sun knows more about hip hop than me? Is that something an old lady like me should be envious of? Does that make any sense? You're silly beyond words. And the pathetic thing about it is that you think you are so on point about everything. Get some new material. Bottom line is is that you want Troy to give you a corner because you've been here longer than I have and you're lealous.

    Personally, I hope Nah'Sun comes back to discuss other subjects. The more the merrier, I always say. I also hope Milton returns. He always had interesting things to say - unlike you who are about as interesting as dirt.

  19. Because the last sentence in the above post would bring what was an intelligent discussion to an ignoble end, since I wrote it, I will take it upon myself to bring closure in a more civil manner. The sentence was a figurative one; graphic in the image it conjured up. :wacko: But it is an example of what an exchange can degenerate into when, to paraphrase writergirl's observation, people write and write for the sake of seeing their words in print. :unsure:

    Nah'Sun wrote and wrote and wrote, pontificating on his favorite subject like a Trekkie at a Star Trek convention. Me and others offered our opinions, writing and writing and writing but this input rolled off Nah'Sun's back. Not only was he the undisputed authority on the subject of Hip-Hop, but - his age was just a number! The world gasped. :o Guess what happened next? Nah'Sun ran out of words. And nobody cared... -_- zzzzzzzz

    What is the moral of this story? If you call yourself "Nah'Sun", don't be surprised if you get "Nah'Mooned". :blink:

    • Like 1
  20. In my dotage, when it comes to the presidential campaign, I feel as tho I've earned the luxury of sitting back being a spectator as opposed to a member of Obama's cheer-leading squad. And what a view it is observing reaction to the latest debate between the candidates.

    It's almost like Street Lit sparking an interest in reading for those who had no previous interest in books. Suddenly every black person, including me, has become a political pundit. And we all have our theories about Obama's stilted demeanor during the debate. None I've heard have conceded that Obama showed evidence that, without a prompter, he failed at being able to think on his feet in response to Romney's vague claims and half-truths. Others prefer to describe him as cool and contemplative - as in "timid" and "sheepish". Baaaa.

    Romney's performance, on the other hand, is being called "crisp" by his supporters. Crisp? As in fattening potato chips and diet-friendly celery? Bring on the cheese dip-shit for this waffler! I'm lovin it.

    But not to worry. Brother Barack will win because, if we are to believe his millions of black disciples, God is on his side. And we slave descendant perennial victims of racism all know how much God luvs us niggas. Praise the lord. And Obama...

  21. Good grief! Shame on Hollywood. Isn't Zoe Hispanic? Nina Simone, herself, must be turning over in her grave.

    Yeah, we know. By making a character her own, a good actress can pull off any role. Forget the audience, who might very well be distracted by someone playing a real life person to whom she bears absolutely no resemblance! Are the producers tryng to save money, or going for star power??? The could've gotten Jennifer Hudson cheap and she's reasonably famous and even looks a little like Nina. And back in the day, I thought Sidney Poiter playing Thurgood Marshall was a bad call. But at least they were both "black". Jeeze

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