Cynique

While agonizing over a fast reply I wanted to retrieve and correct, I wistfully scanned over it and clicked on the space where the omission occurred, highlighting it, and - voila! Suddenly at the bottom on the post, the "edit" option miraculously appeared. I was then able to make the revision and re-post the corrected text. Talk about serendipity! Hope this wasn't a fluke. I will now use this procedure to see if I can create a smiley face. Aha! it worked. Aren't you glad you don't have to endure my bitchin about this any more, Troy!!

Were you referring to me when you said the "brother" pointed out "competitive aspects of a free market society, etc."? It behooves you to get a fix on who you are having an exchange with. I'm not a brother, I'm a sister. Sometimes the sex of who you are playing games with can make a difference. No? As for your observations not being obvious, although you couched them in a lot of superfluous verbiage, they were basically just common sense rules. Everybody knows that if you don't get your shit together, you will be a bench-warmer.

Wellll, Turner, your postulation ventures into a mind-boggling realm, - a multi-verse of concentric circles wherein a person playing his game is being critiqued by other people functioning in the role their particular game dictates them to play. Which is to say that the referee and policeman who are monitoring your game are having their efficiency judged by people whose game calls for them to keep tabs on cops and umps, and so on and so on ad infinitum, conjuring up a situation comparable to how a word loses its meaning when it’s repeated over and over becoming nothing more than gibberish, while what it originally referred to dissipates into a maze of ramifications. Participating in a game is an exercise in competition and somebody has to lose. Most winners are mavericks, - risk takers who don't play by the rules. The randomness of good and bad luck is, of course, a factor and odds have to be beaten. In the arena of life, as participants in a rat race, we all play mind games. Prevailing in this contest is the true measure of superiority. There's nothing to disagree with in your commentary. Certain truths are obvious in the scheme of things.

OHO, Chrishayden. When I said that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan were holy wars dating back centuries to the time of the Crusades, you questioned my historical accuracy, as you now say the same thing. And, suddenly, you have abandoned your religious tolerance and joined me in bad-mouthing Muslim extremists. tsk-tsk.

You always opt to "turn a phrase" rather than speak the truth, Chrishayden. How can you, as a baby boomer who grew up during the 1950s and 60s say that during these years black folks were all "happy go lucky, water melon loving, chicken stealing coons"? Is this what you were doing while you were attending a Big-10 university? Is this what the upwardly mobile Blacks were engaging in while launching the civil rights movement? This was, after all, the era when black men stepped up and became the leaders of the civil rights movement and all of its militant spin-offs. What seems to be forgetten about this time when black men flexed their manhood was what a back seat black women had to take, often relegated to being go-fers expected to do menial tasks and be willing bed mates. Circumstances have shaped black women into being the ball-busters they have gradually become. They wish they didn't find themselves empathizing with the female characters in Tyler Perry movies. But somewhere along the way, things went astray. Who is to blame for the bad rap black men get? Tyler Perry? Not solely. There is enough blame to go around. Love-starved baby mamas who give birth to male children that grow up into irresponsible clones of the fathers who have moved on from them and their mothers. Professional executives, sports figures, and entertainers who prefer white trophy wives to women of their own race. Instituionalized racism that trips up those not shrewd enough to circumvent it. An educational system that produces young boys ill-equipped to compete in the real world. Court systems that enable the prison industry whose main product is young black males. This is the setting in which the rift between black men and black women is played out, an exercise in conflict that casts black men in a bad light. What is the solution? Don't ask me. The only people who can rehabilitate the image of black men is - black men. If Tyler Perry was smart, he would expand his repetoir and take advantage of his captive audience by producing films with upstanding black heroes as his protagonists. A good trade-off. Black men would love him for this, and if it's anything Tyler obviously needs, it's love from black men...

I’ve always been fascinated with the dynamics of language. A tool that enables communication, language can frequently be inadequate. But it can also be powerful. As components of language, certain words can trigger rage and indignation at the mere sound of them. The most obvious example of this is the epithet “nigger“. A simple 2-syllable utterance that stands for so much. Just the enunciation of this one word is powerful enough to incite mayhem when it comes out of the mouth of a white person in the presence of black person. A black person can seethe with suspicions about racial prejudice but once the n-bomb is dropped, anger and the threat of violence immediately erupt. A similar reaction occurs when a white speaker refers to Blacks as “you people” or calls an adult black man a “boy”. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Sez who? Mention the name of Union General William T. Sherman in the same sentence as military expertise, and a Georgia cracker might stuff a rebel flag down your throat. For a girlfriend to be called a “cunt” by her boyfriend is a deal breaker. Calling his penis “little” can render a lover impotent. Say the word, “no” to a 2-year-old toddler and a tantrum will be the result. A coveted bachelor can crush the hopes of a middle-aged single woman by referring to her as “old”. The self-esteem of a struggling student can be permanently damaged by calling her “dumb”. Dissin a gang-banger by calling him a “punk bitch” can make the name-caller a target for gun-shots. Calling a family member a “liar” can damage a relationship. Branding a child born out of wedlock a “bastard” inflicts a permanent scar. Labeling a soldier a “coward” can disarm his honor. Calling a college graduate “inept” can fuel self-doubt. Calling a size 14 woman “fat” can ruin her day. Whether used to devalue or to agitate, specific words are, indeed, loaded with power, and can be even more insidious when, if left unsaid, a loud silence accuses. Complicated business this pondering the riddles of Life. Thoughts can become things, words can become shackles; reality is a cell in the “it-is-what-it-is” prison - truth a facet in the “seeing-is-believing” prism. We page through the dictionary of our encounters, defining and being defined. But all is not lost. Salvation lies in the magic that words of praise can invoke, having the effect of sunshine on a rose bud. Even more inspiring is how love can demonstrate that actions speak louder than words. Maybe when all is said and done, “Life is the question. Love is the answer”. Silent night, holy night. Enjoy your holiday, everyone, and may the new year bring you peace and joy. "CYNIQUE"

LOL. Maybe Steve Harvey kept on marrying until he got it right, and now thinks he's qualified to speak on the subject of relationships. I don't think anybody really knows what they're talking about when they give advice about how to get a man. There are no rules. I have in fact, noticed that some men are drawn to needy women whom they feel sorry for. A friend of my daughters who had a lot going for her was devastated when her boyfriend left her to be with a struggling young highschool drop-out with 3 little kids. A friend of mine has been married 4 times and she's not all that. But she's NEVER had any trouble finding acceptable men to marry her. Another girl I used to work with was never at a loss for boyfriends while other more attractive female co-workers were sitting home alone on week-ends. My other daughter claims fat girls get just as many men as thin ones because the fat ones "think" they're fine. She was the bridesmaid in a wedding where the bride weighed in at 215 lbs and the groom was crazy about her. I guess maybe you could say some of these examples "settled". They had a special on cable's TLC where this tall handsome guy married a woman who only had half a body; no legs, just a torso. She got around by using a skate board which she propelled with her hands. Another lady had no arms and did everything with her feet including driving a car but still had a nice husband. ??? The women who are still waiting for Mr. Right, should maybe heed the advice of another guy I knew who was famous for saying "show me a woman who 'gives good head' and I'll show you a woman who's married". My advice remains the same. Men are drawn to women who have warm smiles. (You're lucky if you find one who is worthy of having his ego boosted.)

bookfan, are you talking about the numbers lister under "Members"? I never thought those figures referred to "Profile" visitors. I always thought that "views" referred to the number of people who have viewed your posts. I have posted 437 times, since January so having all of these posts read by 6039 people in a year's time doesn't seem that unusual. Troy, can you straighten us out? The only off-board connection I have is with FaceBook which I don't frequent that often, and I never hook up my posts with facebook friends because I don't want them to read all of the outrageous things I write on this board under the name of Cynique. My children and grandchildren would be embarassed. That's why I took my picture down.

Huh??? You seem to be fixated on numbers, bookfan. I find it puzzling that every time I post, 15 readers view my profile. I always assumed that it was the same small core of regulars who read my posts and that they were familiar with my history. Can I deduce that once readers get a taste of my style, they stop checking out my musings and that my "hit quota" is actually dependent on curious newbies?? Good thing I strive to be controversial rather than popular. LOL I do notice that once Troy enters a thread, his entourage of facebook followers bump things up. Many are wishing that Thumper and ABM would reappear on the board. Maybe they hope they can magically influence their return by clicking on to their profiles. Whatever. This board seems to have become a way-station for transient lurkers. What was once one big dysfunctional family circle has now become a highway where strangers pass in the night. Like everything else, the cyber world is in a state of flux. And so it goes...

Did you miss the last sentence of my review, Troy? Check it out. I read the first entry in this series, which was pretty good. It introduced Tennyson Harwick and was a murder mystery set in the fast lane of LA's hip-hop scene where mayhem and sex ran rampant. I think I like this latest book a little better.

I finally finished my book club’s selection for this quarter. It is entitled “From Cape Town With Love“, and is a collaboration between Tananarive Due, her husband Steven Barnes, and screen actor Blair Underwood, “From Cape Town With Love” is the 3rd in the Tennyson Hardwick series, and is typical escapist fare. James Patterson and Jackie Collins have nothing on the aforementioned triumvirate of authors who have merged their talents to the take their readers on a roller coaster ride via the adventures of Tennyson Hardwick, a handsome, free-spirited, black, Hollywood bit player who doubles as a bodyguard to the rich famous, - a gig for which his martial arts skills supremely qualify him. But not just qualified to kick ass, Hardwick's resume is further enhanced by an earlier stint as a male escort, a vocation which enabled him to hone what has turned him into a "babe magnet" specializing in booty calls. With a protagonist like this how can a book miss - if you’re looking for violent action and hot sex. In his latest escapade, fresh back from a failed love affair with a sweetheart in South Africa, and between movie bit parts, Hardwick is hired to help keep tabs on the celebrity guests of a birthday party for the adopted toddler of a famous movie siren whose taste in orphans leans toward the African brand. And, - you guessed it! In the midst of all the fun and games the child is kidnapped by what might be a South African crime syndicate. What follows is over 300 pages of terse dialogue, swerving car chases, passionate bed hopping, hand-to-hand combat inter-dispersed with whizzing bullets and slashing knives. The plot is full of twists, the characters full of mystery, but all’s well that ends well as the intrigue spirals to a climax replete with a surprise ending and a happy resolution of the subplot. And thrown in just for good measure is the epiphany our courageous, compassionate, super stud experiences as Tennyson Hardwick realizes his true calling in life. "From Cape Town With Love" is a well-written, well-crafted thriller but a fast read it is not because it is bogged down with detail which, although somewhat interesting and informative, still has to be plowed through. Nevertheless, the authors are to be commended for doing a good job of tackling this genre and giving equal time to a black action hero. Out of a possible four stars, I'd award this book 3. ***

No, Chrishayden, my son played Juror #3, who was a "fence straddler." My son also reminded me that there were 2 movie versions of "12 Angry Men" made AFTER this work first appeared on TV's "Studio One" and then on the stage. The first film featured Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb in the leading roles. The remake of this movie starred Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott. Also where some confusion might be stemming from, is that after many stage plays have been made into movies, they often re-open on the stage again after the movie has come out. There is, in fact, a "Tony" awarded to the best revival of a Broadway production.

Guess you were reading a little too fast, tabonnefee. In my article I said: "To a lesser degree, women are guilty too, certain ones succumbing to the appeal of ripe young studs with ever-ready batteries swinging between their legs." And I didn't exclude women from succmbing to the fangs of temptation. In my indictment of Mankind, with homage to Eve, I assumed everybody knew that women are a part of "mankind".

OK, Troy, I checked just to make sure about "12 Angry Men" and you can click on the link below and see what you think. wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Angry_Men_(Westinghouse Back in the day when TV was just coming on the scene and movies were feeling their growing pains, things were a tad different than they are now. And I don't know why we are bickering about this one point, babe. I guess because for some reason you zeroed in on my passing remark about movies not being made into plays. Instead of being stuck in this rut, why don't you go further and tell me why proving to me that movies have been made into plays is important to the point you are arguing about Tyler Perry turning FCG into a movie, and about how you think the theater and movies are equally artistic? I explained where I was coming from when I made this remark. Do you feel that movies being made into plays substantiates your argument??? And if I misinterpreted your eloquent lament about the sorry state of affairs visa-vis black culture, excuuuuuse me. I don't recall your ever defending the way badly-written, and poorly-edited street lit is usurping quality black fiction. But - what do I know? I guess as long as there is an audience who is willing to buy such books, this earns your thumbs up. Who are we to judge? Whatever. Gotta go. Don't eat too much turkey. LOL

Oh,stfu, Carey. To my "nephew" Troy, my son appeared in his high school’s production of “12 Angry Men”, a work which was adapted from a “teleplay” which was made into a movie and subsequently reproduced on Broadway in its original form as a stage play. I remember when TV first came out, the HallMark and DuPont networks used to stage plays and simply televise them. Their format was not that of a movie so they were called “teleplays”. Several of these outstanding productions were later performed on Broadway. So TV introduces a whole new facet to this argument. As for 39 Steps, it was a COMEDY. In any case, my motive in posing this convoluted question was to point out how producers and directors rarely bothered with turning movies into plays because doing so would take away from the whole visual concept of movies. Yet Hollywood always wants to bloat plays into movies in order to make money. Dating as far back as Greeks and later Shakespeare, there has always been a distinction between what was aesthetic and what would appeal to the “hoi poloi”. There was the genre known as “low” comedy, and it was forerunner of burlesque and vaudeville and screwball humor. Its opposite, as represented by the famous mask of tragedy, was serious drama, which is more attuned to the intellectual sensibilities rather than the funny bone. In any case, nowadays, you can believe that if a movie leaves too much to the imagination, it will not be popular, whereas this would not be as much of a problem to theater patrons. As for “The Godfather”, I don’t think anybody disputes that turning this book into a movie was a great cinematic achievement. This picture is a classic gangster film. But everything that is classic is not necessarily artistic. There are films so bad that they are “classic”. Obviously the reason why it was made into a movie instead of a play was because, a play couldn’t do it justice, which is at the gist of my argument. What’s good for one media is not necessary good for another! And the bottom line is if we don’t have standards, then quality is lost. Tyler Perry dumbed down FCG, because he knew the average person wouldn't appreciate the play in its original form. He was criticized for this by those who don't subscribe to this school of thought. There you have it. BTW, Troy, I assumed you deplored street lit by what you said to John H, on another thread which was: "I truly believe that the level of education and literacy has adversely impacted on not only our ability to produce great work but our ability to consume or even recognize it." You went on to say that "Tyler's success is a symptom of a larger problem"... You are, of course, entitled to your "revised" opinion about whether street lit in all of its formulaic semi-literate glory is on a par with mainstream and literary fiction and that FCG is a generic work of art. And others are entitled to disagree.

Well, Troy, you keep citing musicals and comedies and I have focused on drama which is what FCG is, and I seriously doubt whether out-of- town yokels and their ill-behaved children flocked to see this play when it was on Broadway. Drama is serious artistic stuff and when this turf is invaded by the atypical audience Puffy attracted, it proves that this fare is not for "public consumption". Yes, there are serious movies which earn rave reviews, but they are measured by a different yardstick than a live play. Apples and oranges... As for making a commercial film into an artistic one, you can't be true to your craft when you are catering to a mass audience whose business you are seeking. Not only would this be difficult, it's counter-productive. And, of course any play can be expanded into a movie and any movie can be reduced to a play but at what cost? When a camera comes between the actor and the audience, then the whole vibe is changed and the finished product is diluted. I repeat: This is what offends purists. Since you are less discriminating than a purist, Troy, then you can't be swayed. Or will you be impressed with how every movie star aspires to cap their career by appearing on the legitimate stage epitomized by Broadway. So be it. And in light of your desire to give the screen and the stage the same props, maybe you should re-think your objection to street lit enjoying more acclaim than quality fiction. How about giving the hack writers an "E" for effort. LOL

Black people resign themselves to the Democratic Party, knowing full well that the political system is a 2-headed monster. But in all of our pragmatic weariness, we side with the lesser of 2 evils. Republicans are a refuge for racists. They are the party of right wing extremeists, fanatical Christians, Tea Party vigilantes and Sarah Palin, a shrill-voiced demagog who makes Hillary Clinton look like Goldilocks. Democrats nominated and elected an African American president. Republican want to bring him to his knees. The philosphy of the Republican party is: this country belongs to us. We stole it from the Indians and we are not about to turn it over to the Mexicans. I've got mine, now you get yours. Don't tax me if I make a lot of money and forget about people not able to afford health care. Democrats have their heart in the right place but their hypocrisy laced with ineptness taints them. So should Black folks break off from the mainstream and come up with their version of a Tea Party? What would we call it? The After Party? After everybody finishes arguing, let's break out a 5th of Hennessy. In Chicago we have 3 different black Democrats planning to run for Mayor, guaranteeing a split of the votes. No Blacks have filed for this office on the Republican ticket. They know better. There's no way registered Chicago Republicans would cast their vote for a black mayor. And so it goes.

Whoa here. Let's see what I said. First of all, let's make a distinction between male critics offended by Tyler's portrayal of them, and drama critics displeased with Tyler's version of a Broadway play. Secondly, I didn't say you rarely hear of a play being made into a movie. This happens all the time, with mixed results, of course. Many Tennesse Wiliams and Lillian Hellman and Neil Simon plays have been adapted for the screen, as was award-winning black playwright August Wilson's play the "The Piano." So your reference to "A Raisin in the Sun" doesn't apply, Carey, because it was a play before it was a movie. What I did said was: you seldom hear of a movie later being made into a play probably because you'd have to edit out everything that couldn't be shown on a small stage and substitute action with dialogue, all of which changes the effect. Actually, "The Lion King" is a musical revue rather than a play and musicals can be presented in any venue, but - I will give you that, Troy. I would, however, appreciate you coming up with better examples of movies being made into plays. LOL. And, with all due respect to your emotional tribute to your new hero, Troy, I'm not blaming Tyler Perry for having the courage to do what Hollywood frequently does; which is to make a movie out of a play or a book or a - comic strip. e.g. Superman and Batman and Spider Man. Or am I putting him down for making a movie that gave men a bad rap. I'm just contending that the reason certain people in certain quarters reject the bastard children of a Broadway father and a Hollywood mother is because they want to preserve the essence of "the theater". They appreciate the beauty of dialogue and the magic of a live performance. You can't recapture on screen the intimacy of a play and the rapport between the audience and the actors. This is what they will all tell you. What I and many others are claiming about blowing up a play into a movie is that, - SOMETHING IS LOST IN THE TRANSLATION! And what is usually lost is the uniqueness of the original work. The stage and screen are 2 different vehicles in the field of performance and they should continue to exist independently of each other. (That's why they give movie stars "Oscars" and stage actors "Tonys", obviously.) Compare the high price of a ticket to a Broadway show with the $10.00 admission to a movie and you might get a hint of why movies are the preference of "the great unwashed". Pop corn and a Coke? Forget it. Expensive drinks are what is sipped during intermission at the Theater. Not all Theater customers are elitists, but all elitists are Theater patrons.

OK, Troy, I should've been more specific when using the term "stage", and made a distinction between the genres of "musicals" and "comedy" as opposed to the high drama of Broadway "theater". (This would be a good place to insert the famous images of the ancient Greek masks depicting Tragedy and Comedy.) I know the Addams family is a big hit on Broadway and this comedy was patterned after the TV series which actually was taken from the outre cartoons in the highly sophisticated New Yorker Magazine. These cartoons were always enigmatic, but the TV and screen versions turned Charles Addams' cryptic little gems into broad comedy. The musical "Annie" was based on the comic strip "Little Orphan Annie" and so, of course, was "You're A Good Man Charlie Brown" both of which were successful endeavors. Shakespearean plays also have been made into movies, but they had to be revised and expanded and made palatable to movie audiences. So this is a debatable subject. But I can't think of any original screenplay that was made into a movie and which somebody later decided, hummm, this film would make a good Broadway play so let's transform it into one, editing out all of the things that a movie has to illustrate, incorporating them into dialogue that challenges the imagination of the theater-goer. Doing this would especially compromise the intent of experimental art films which are created especially for the screen. In agreeing with the writer whose comments Carey posted, I was precariously putting myself in the category of elitists who don't want the mass media to encroach upon the domain of classic theater. The opinions both she and I voiced are held by many, including actors themselves who place TV and movies on a lower plane because they have wide popular appeal, not to mention playwrights who don't want their works given the "Hollywood" treatment. It's somewhat comparable to the book world, where the literati looks down its nose at commerical fiction. Many purists believe that unless a certain artistic standards are maintained, the tradition of the "theater" is tainted. I think you, Troy, speak as an entrepreneur who sees unlimited possibilities in any project that promises a profit. Yes, one can tackle the impossible and achieve the "difficult" but when doing this inevitably calls for distorting the original then you've turned a prototype into a stereotype - and the artistic integrity is sacrificed. Some things are better left alone. The Venus De Milo statue doesn't need arms to be iconic. IMO.

John H, I find your clarification about indiscriminately branding black entertainers and street thugs as "coons" gratifying because I have been protesting this myself, perhaps because I am older and familiar with how the term was originally used as a way to distinguish certain folks from the "sportin daddy" and "trickster" types. Playing "fast and loose" with the term "coon" is kinda like referring to sullen bi-racial chicks as "tragic mulattos". I would concede, however, that this is not a point to belabor. Words evolve. IMO. I can't decide whether Tyler Perry and rap artists and vulgar stand-up comedians strike me as examples of minstrelry. As a young girl I actually saw a minstrel show routine put on by - of all people - a group of black Masons who performed this as an act at a benefit talent show, doing so without any reservations. It seemed to me that these guys, dressed in tuxedos and top hats sans black face, were more about sly humor, than self-degradation. Apparently, pundits like Stanley Crouch disagree. It is hard for me, however, to regard Tyler's "Madea" character as anything other than a buffoon. I know you are aware that some black historians have forgiven Step N Fetchit, "sanitizing" his portrayal as an example of good acting. This is a compelling subject to explore. As for Amos "N Andy, they were like like a pair of comfortable slippers, as opposed to the tight high-heel pumps of the Cosby show. In response to the black critics of Amos N Andy, white viewers frequently responded by saying that if they were not offended by the popularity of wacky shows like "I Love Lucy" and goofy ones like "The Beverly Hillbillies", then black folks would do well to likewise keep things in perspective. The TV show "Julia" starring black actress Diahnn Carrol as a perfect single mother and efficient nurse, was put on to placate black people, but this series also drew black critics who found her character unrealistic. Whatever.

What the person quoted in Carey's post had to say really resonated with me, because it pretty much fleshed out what old Cynique, the woman of fewer words, said earlier about FGC losing its artistic integrity when it was sacrified on the altar of mass appeal. Unlike Troy, I appreciate that many literary people have a problem with giving stage plays make-overs via movies. You rarely here of a movie being made into a play, this being somewhat akin to "east being east and west, west and never the twain shall meet". The "stage" is an esoteric media. The "screen" is for "the great unwashed". Viva la difference! I also agree that predictibility does get old; fortunately, some things mellow with age. Similarly, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker were both unhappy with how "Beloved" and "The Color Purple" were interpreted on the screen, perhaps feeling the way Cher felt when she had to endure her beautful daughter Chastity being mutilated and mutated into a big, fat, goofy-lookin man, who is now her son Chazz.

Actually people who complain about how others cry about how a movie makes "us" look are, themselves, crying about how it makes "us" look when we cry about how a movie makes "us" look. So, there. Where "FCG" is concerned I say to all black men that if the shoe fits, then go buy a larger pair and grow into them. And to those whose feet aren't cramped after seeing this movie, keep on keeping those toenails cut short. Your mate will love for this. For those colored girls considering suicide when the rainbow is enuff, - damn! Why are the Bulls' games such nail-biters?? They always win or lose in the final seconds!

Gee, Guys, I certainly wasn't suggesting that Obama and Perry are entitled to have pity parties thrown for them. I'd be the first to agree that nobody is ever "promised a rose garden". I just juxtaposed these 2 to show how black men are damned if they do, and damned if they don't. The males in Tyler's movies "did't", and Obama "did", and still they all catch hell. Tough shit.

LOL @ Troy. Obama and Perry have earned a name for themselves but history is not always kind to the famous, and it dismisses mediocrity. MLK and Malcolm X, of course, became instant heroes when they were martyred by assassinations.

Battle lines have been drawn within certain enclaves of the black community, and conflict is swirling around 2 high-profile men, - a couple of guys who controversy seems to follow. Kanye West and LeBron James? Nope. The males in question, although the subject of different debates, have a certain thing in common. Who are they? What are their names? None other than - Barack Obama and Tyler Perry! The rueful President just recently admitted that he had taken a “shellacking” courtesy of the Republican mid-term election landslide. And, although film-maker Tyler hasn’t publicly acknowledged it, he is being raked over the coals by irate critics of his latest movie, “For Colored Girls”. Behold the dynamic duo, Barack and Tyler, two guys under fire, the targets of scorn and ridicule. Nevertheless, they also have their defenders. Black loyalists continue to shield Obama against the slings and arrows of the Republicans, Independents, and Democratic defectors who deplore his stimulus bailouts and how he’s strayed from the platform he ran on. Likewise, a broad spectrum of Sistas are defending Tyler from the wrath of the Brothas offended by his movie’s negative implications about black men. What has ensued is a volatile situation that raises questions. Together, did Barack and Tyler inadvertently create a black monster? Mix a bad economy and high unemployment with the release of a female-oriented movie about the inadequacies of males, and the ongoing resentments between the opposing sexes escalate. And could this bad karma have rubbed off on Barack and Tyler? They both defied the odds, and their rise up the ladder of success was phenomenal. But in the wake of all the scathing attacks that are making their accomplishments pale in comparison, Obama and Perry have to wonder what it would be like to bask in the wide-spread approval that would validate them. How much more legitimate might they feel if they could be held in unanimous high esteem? Yes, the victorious American president and the successful Hollywood producer achieved what they wanted. But did anybody bother to warn them to be careful what they wished for because if they got it, they could wind up wondering whether Fate has a grudge against black men. Like our forefathers, Barack Obama and Tyler Perry are learning the hard way that respect is not only a priceless commodity, but an elusive one.