Jump to content

Cynique

Moderators
  • Posts

    5,744
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    568

Everything posted by Cynique

  1. AMAZING!! I assuming that Layton was a Tuskegee airman because that's where all of the black airmen were trained. At that time there was no Air Force as we know it today. Back then, the air force was a division of the Army. I can still see Roosevelt, now, wearing his leather bomber jacket with its fleece collar and an "ace cap" with goggles pulled back on his head. Thank you! BTW, I only mentioned the Spielburg /Lucas thing because Spielburg has a controversial history in regard to black movies due to his affiliation with "The Color Purple" which met with disapproval by many in the black community because it portrayed black men in a bad light. I think after that, Spielburg became a little gun-shy when it came to directing black movies...
  2. Troy, you keep giving Steven Spielberg "credit" for this movie which he had nothing to do with. His "Star Wars" partner George Lucas is who financed and produced it. I understand that the 19 million dollar second place box office take was twice the amount "Red" Tails was projected to open at. Black ticket buyers were probably the major audience this movie attracted, and they are apparently content to be entertained, caring nothing about cliches and stereotypes or critical reviews or who reaps the profits. Consumerism not capitalism is what defines the black community. Too bad that when it comes to "spending", money on enjoyment rather than time on education is what it involves. As an aside, during WWII, my older sister met a Tuskegee airman at a USO center in Chicago and he became of of her many penpals when he went off to war. He sent her a picture of himself in full flight gear, and it sat on her dresser all during the war. I don't know whatever happened to him or the picture, but I certainly wish it had been saved. Little did I know then, that the good lookin guy staring out from that frame was someone one who belonged to an elite and legendary group that would one day become famous. I do remember his name. It was Roosevelt Layton. And 70 years later, I salute him. Better late than never.
  3. "The Help" 's white author did give a fairly accurate portrayal of the white characters, but I would agree that she only succeeded in making the black protagonist sympathetic, an obligation she fulfilled by portraying her as humble and long-suffering, the kind of black person white people love to relate to . Now, Viola Davis is being showered with awards that will probably include an Oscar nomination for her role in "The Help", a part which was really nothing more than that of a latter-day mammy. This is no reflection on the talent of Viola who is a fine actress but I do think it's kinda patronizing to pat her on the head for doing an adequate job with a role that simply required her to repress her fortitude and exude meekness. Critics and audiences also appreciated supporting actress candidate Octavia Spencer's feisty black woman character, another way Hollywood likes to feature actresses of color. Oh, well. That's what the powerless have to deal with. I suppose we should just be grateful for how the bad ol white antagonist got her just desserts in this movie and the god-fearing black maid survived to endure another misty-eyed day.
  4. boitumelo, there are a lot of Blacks who are disillusioned with Obama, and they happen to be Democrats. But, these people remain loyal to the president on the grounds that anybody would be better than a Republican in the white house. This is as terrible commentary on the state of the nation. Whichever candidate wins the upcoming election will have the monumental task of trying to govern a country that is growing more and more polarized, looking more and more like the Divided States of American, instead of the United ones.
  5. In addition to a couple of TV documentaries, there was already a movie about the Tuskeegee airmen, made a few years ago, starring Laurence Fishborn. As I recall, it seemed to be a very definitive telling of their story. Why would George Lucas pour millions of dollars out of his own pocket to re-tell this story? Lucas, the mega rich producer of Star Wars fame, just happens to be engaged to Melody Hobson, a black woman who is a media maven from Chicago. Maybe he was tryng to impress her.... There are other stories out there about the heroic roles Blacks played in World War II. Wonder why Lucas didn't choose one of them to tell. If he really wanted to earn high marks from the black community, he could've told the one about the black soldiers who were dishonorably discharged after they refused orders to continue to do the hazardous duty job of loading torpedoes on submarines, an extremely dangerous job only assigned to black units, one where a large number of black soldiers were blown to bits in an accident that occurred while they were doing this. This is a story America likes to sweep under the carpet, so George might have passed on it. But,- I guess that any movie about Blacks starrig Blacks should be supported, as along as it is not demeaning in its depiction. I guess.
  6. Everything I wrote was suggested by what you originally said, Carey. Your attempt to do damage control by trying to give your original ramblings a do-over is just a typical example of your trying to blame others for your inablity to articulate. And just what is it that I'm "insecure" about? Puleeze. When it comes to religion, what would I be insecure about when all I have to do to feel secure would be to believe whatever it is that pacifies me. Is that too difficult for you to figure out???? As usual your lame attempt to psycho-analyse me proves more about you and your gnawing need to inflate yourself. Do you ever wonder why it makes you happy to convince yourself that I am in pain and full of hate. huh? huh? huh? Just off hand, I'd say it has something to do with providing an explanation for why I don't love your stupidity or ache with a desire to hear your blather. Ya think? Or do I have any intention about using caution when it comes to "mind control". Stupid advice coming from someone whose opinion I have no respect for, someone who has never been a free or original thinker; just a droning voice who parrots the phrases and ideas of others, imprisoned by the narrow confines of an intellect that is grounded in a slave mentality.
  7. Well, Troy, I’ll preface my observations with the caveat that I am neither a sociogist nor an anthropologist, but am an interested observer who has lived through several eras of the black experience. What follows are strictly my personal conclusions. In response to your question, I would start off by referring to that old “poor but proud” designation, the implication of which is just because people are poor does not mean that they have no sense of pride in being respectable. Back in the day, most urban black people were on the fringes of poverty and, as a result, millions of them flocked to the affordable living provided by the housing projects which had sprung up all over the country. Many occupants of these low income conclaves, however, turned out to be those who gave rise to the growth of a black middleclass, - achievers who originally came from the projects but who because of their family values and work ethics and the new opportunities being provided by the concurrent civil rights movement, were able to escape their deprivation and become affluent enough to be “from” the Projects instead of “in” the Projects. What the exodus of the upwardly mobile left behind in public residences were those who, for whatever reason, could not or would not do for themselves, folks that settled into an existence that made them dependent on collecting welfare. If having no father in the home was what guaranteed financial assitance for mothers and their dependant children, then so be it. Added to all of this was how society at large was changing, its rules being challenged by the emergence of a free-spirited counter culture shaking up the status quo. The entertainment media, in particular, contributed to the liberation from America’s Puritanism. And because the high visibility of Celebs cast them as role models, they set the pace by taking the stigma out of questionable behavior, something their fame and fortune allowed them to do without being ostracized.. Marriage was deemed irrelevant (unless it involved same-sex couples) shacking up, and out-of-wedlock births was no big deal as the U.S. became a nation of people doing their own thing. And because they’d become very adept at manipulating The System, welfare recipients seemingly figured that they might as well emulate the celebrities as long as the government was subsidizing their lifestyle. So, the ghettos became enclaves bursting at the seams with an overload of fatherless children whose unmarried mothers ended up having a problem raising them alone. And if the male children spawned by this situation managed to survive the hazards of their environment, they invariably grew up to be poor marriage material. Consequently, a fretting generation of single black career women with ticking biological clocks, were left with nothing to do but consider their options about motherhood. So you are correct, Troy, in saying that many women do choose single parenthood - and thrive. Is making this decision the best case scenario? Don’t ask me. I’m just a spectator
  8. Well, this is the year that all the ancient prognosticators have calculated to culminate in Doomsday, - come December 21st. If the Republicans win the election, I'd say this prediction sounds pretty accurate. The age of America being a nation of citizens who look out for each other will be over. The false prophets wrapping themselves in religion, waving the American flag, disguising their greed as fiscal responsibility, couching their bigotry in a cry for a return to the "good ol days" while turning the struggle to survive into a class war, will be who represent the Apocalypse. Or - will the Age of Aquarius prevail as the stars prove the dire interpretations of their alignment to be wrong. Who knows??? Only time will tell. And time has a way of keeping secrets... Happy New Year, all. Find a way to enjoy 2012 while you can.
  9. Wellll, I did self-publish a short novel entitled "Along The Way" that dealt with 3 generations of a black family, beginning with one turn of the century to the next.(1900 - 2000) This was over 10 years ago and I never really promoted or marketed this book because it was more a labor of love than anything, - just a project to put the word processor on my new computer to use - the culmination of one of the things I planned to do once I retired.
  10. My goodness, I forgot all about this post. I'm always broaching this subject, and there are a couple of more longer accounts of my memories somewhere back in the archives of this board. Glad there are a few around who have an interest in something other than their own era. I do want to make one thing clear. During the late 40s and middle 50s the U of I down in Champaign was the only campus in the country where black Greeks had their own fraternity and sorority houses. Illinois was not the first university in the country where Black Greeks had a presence. These organizations have been on many campuses since the early 1900s but they only had meeting places, not offical residences where members lived like the white ones did. Illinois was the only one. From what I hear, now The black Greeks are all but invisible at Illinois as well other Big 10 schools. BTW, also included in my grandfather's slave narrative was an account of how the KKK descended on the black quarters of Franklin, Tennessee, which was where he lived, but the residents took up arms and "ran them off for good".
  11. Now that's my kind of a review, writergirl! Concise and to the point, telling a perspective reader all that needs to be known without spoiling the plot line.
  12. If it doesn't matter that he is neither black nor a new writer, "Go the F**k to Sleep" by Adam Mansbach is a light, funny best seller. I haven't come across many black writers who are into light humor or wry satire. They seem to lean more toward broad comedy and heavy drama lest they be accused of being too "sophisticated". Stanley Crouch might be an exception. Anybody else come to mind???
  13. Here's another point of view about this subject, written by D.M. Murdoch, an independent scholar of comparative religion and mythology, specializing in the ancient astrological origins of popular religious systems and beliefs. "These days many people understand that "Christmas" represents the continuation and remake of the very ancient observation of the winter solstice, the time of year when the sun "dies" and is "reborn" or "resurrected," as the daylight hours decrease to their shortest point and then begin to increase again. This important solstice time has been observed most notably on December 21st or 22nd in the northern hemisphere. However, over the past several thousand years in many cultures globally the winter solstice has been celebrated at various times, from the middle or end of November to the middle of January. The symbolism in many of these instances is clear: Mourning the decrease and celebrating the increase of the sun's life-giving light and heat. Rather than representing the birthday of a human savior of a particular ethnicity and creed, this time of the year constitutes the "birth," "rebirth" or "resurrection" of Sol Invictus, the "Unconquered Sun," whose annual journey across our sky can be celebrated worldwide as a truly unifying expression of our global family." Of course, the Nativity story is a time-honored tradition among Christians, and it comforts them to cherish and celebrate what they choose to believe.
  14. Talk about starting out with a bang and ending up with a whimper! America has unceremoniously pulled out of Iraq after the “shock and awe” of this war was reduced to weariness and futility. With this evacuation, Iraq is now responsible for its own security because the enemy has not been routed and this land is still in danger. Lotsa luck. What did this ambitious mission accomplish? It was a military action that killed thousands of people, laid waste a country, cost billions of dollars, alienated our allies, and polarized America. Did waging battle on foreign soil deter terrorism in the homeland? No. Credit for that goes to the CIA. But the brave troops putting their lives on the line had to be assured that their role was essential when it came to keeping this country safe from the bad guys. Did the killing of Saddam Hussein and Osama bin ladin avenge 911? Maybe. If moral victories count for something. “O, say can you see by the dawn’s early light?” No. The sun is setting on the American empire! “USA! USA! USA!” Hollow victory chants. There are no winners in the political wars now wracking this country. Watta hot mess.
  15. Thank you, Troy, for providing a forum for discussion about books and other subjects of interest!
  16. I agree authors should be aware that a reader is doing a writer a favor by reading what he writes, and the least the writer should do is to correct typos and misspellings and punctuation errors. I would go a little further, not by way of advice, but by way of observation. Writing is a natural talent, or an acquired abiliity. It is also a craft that adheres to certain criteria. Just because somebody has an idea for a book and puts it into words doesn't make him or her a writer. Unless they do a good job of this, it just makes them wanna-bes, and I don't waste my time on the works of these hacks. Once self-publishing blew up, enabling anybody with the wherewithal to put out a book, there was more chaff than wheat out there. Not to be overlooked are the people who, rather than broadening their taste, prefer to only read about what they can relate to. Being willing to overlook blatant flaws seems to go along with this mind-set, - all of which lowered standards and contributed to the divisiveness that is now plaguing the black literary community. Of course, a book told in the first-person utiizing slang and dialect can be effective visa-vis style. It is when an attempt at serious writing is littered with infractions that a person's qualifications to be called a writer come into question. IMO.
  17. So congregations should blindly follow their leaders, - flawed tho they may be, huh? Forget about expecting accountablity from ministers not practicing what they preach. Is that it? A leader needs to earn respect in order to maintain a loyal following. A preacher should set an example; not provide an excuse for church members to also do wrong. Who wrote Corinthians? A self-serving hypcrite? Why can't the message be that weak, deceitful leaders should be replaced by strong ones with integrity and scruples, chosen from among the dissenters? And who is interpretating the words of Corinthians? Somebody who is a self-appointed spin doctor, suggesting that deferring to a father to keep the family together is a valid analogy to ignoring the transgressions of a preacher in order to maintain the stability of the church. What if the head of the house is a wife beater who molests his daughter? Just go along with it, huh. No wonder a congregation has come to be thought of as a flock of obedient sheep, kept in line by a shepherd who will eventually fleece them. Baaaa. Puleeze. Be advised that when you come here thumping the bible, you invite responses from those who resist mind-control.
  18. Guess how I figured out who you were talking about, Crystal? I remembered the angst-driven devotion you have displayed over the years as a basketball fan. I really hope Chris Paul can give your team a much-needed boost. It makes the league more interesting when the super stars are spread around, instead of all bundled together in one franchise. Having said that - GO BULLS!
  19. Look who's accusing somebody of talking out of their ass. Keep on doing your thing, boitumelo. I appreciate how you say what you have to say in a minimum amount of words, expressing your opinion about issues that prompt others to discuss. Since this board is an open forum, and sinceTroy doesn't have a problem with you, overlook the personal attacks from this board's resident name-caller.
  20. Great to hear I've got a soul sista out there, Crystal. I can relate to having the same menu for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ain't that krazy? We are creatures of habit, I guess. However, I don't have to worry about cleaning up after the meal. The festive, glazed, paper plates and sturdy plastic utensils get thrown out ..... So gauche!
  21. Ever check out the Zane Chronicles on Cable TV? This urban erotica portrays ordinary people enjoying the hell out of sex, which is why it's not that offensive. I would classify it as soft porn.
  22. Why do I get the impression that you are from Chicagoland???
  23. I really have to start remembering to check out the poetry forum. I am apparently missing out on some good stuff. Soul food diva served up a goodie!
×
×
  • Create New...