Cynique

How thoughtful of you to provide excerpts from and a link to this book about slavery, Chrishayden. Who knows? There might be younger folks who are registered at this site and who now don't have to go through the trouble of googling "slavery" in order to learn what well-informed people have known since 1619; slavery was hell, and its repercussions awful. You could have also recommended the option of watching the movie "Gone With The Wind" in order to provide the "ignorant" ones with an idea of what slavery involved. But, then, you claim to despise this film. Whatever. In the year 2010, it's always provocative to be reminded how a certain element of slave descendants are now killing each other - while others argue among themselves about what constitutes a "slave mentality" - as if anyone knows what really went on inside the individual minds of those in bondage.

Another Chicago policeman was shot dead last week, a black, 62-year-old veteran, months away from retirement. Just getting off duty, exiting his brand new Buick in front of his home, he was gunned down by young thugs intending to steal his car. Scared off when he returned gun fire before succumbing to his wounds, the perpetrators who are suspected gang members fled on foot. This is the third Chicago officer murdered in 2 months and, according to authorities, the gangs have moreorless declared war on the police, sending a message that they have no respect for the uniform. Compounding the problem is the “no-snitch” street code which prevents investigators from getting any information about these or any other murders. The reward for this latest slaying has reached $70,000 but for various reason, nobody is coming forward to confirm suspicions An article which recently appeared in the Chicago-Sun-Times claimed that even the military has increasing numbers of gang-affiliated members, who will be bringing their combat tactics home to utilize in street wars; a bad sign. There was a time when crooks had second thoughts about killing a cop. But not any more. This new breed has no regard for the boys in blue. Respect for the badge is gone and the streets are killing fields. Law and order are the pillars of a strong society, and once they break down, anarchy ensues. How will it all end? What can be done? Does the solution lie in the gangs killing themselves off? According to the old adage, those who live by the gun, will die by it. Hopefully.

Chicago’s western suburbs were hit hard by a deluge of rain this weekend. Lightning flashed, thunder boomed, and the rain fell, and fell, and fell. The fund-raising gala sponsored by the local black heritage museum of which I am a staff member was held at the club house of the race track that borders my town, and I should’ve known after the first race was postponed due to threatening skies, and the horse I bet on in the third race came in last, that I was in for an "erratic" evening. By the time my friend dropped me off at my house, the rain was really coming down, but I wasn’t concerned. It’s not like I hadn’t experienced bad weather before. Anyhoo, as the night wore on, ensconced in my den, I settled into my usual round-the-clock regimen, an alternating routine of reading, surfing the net and watching cable TV. Later during a trip to the kitchen for a midnight snack, a check of my basement revealed that it had started to flood as the street sewers were apparently backing up. I shrugged. This had happened before with no disastrous results. Then, suddenly the power failed, and darkness engulfed the entire neighborhood. Not really panicked by the fact that I was cut off from family, not only because both of my daughters were out of town, but because my nearest sons were unreachable due to my cell phone not being charged, I went into emergency mode. Got out my lantern flashlight, turned on my battery-powered radio, relaxed back on my recliner and prepared to make the most of a different way to spend the evening, appreciating what late night radio has to offer, enjoying as I always do, the deep solitude of my own company. >>kiss-kiss<< Lulled into drowsiness by the muffled sound of rain drumming on my roof, after a while I was aroused by the thumping of footsteps on my back porch. Wondering if I had forgotten to lock my back door, I soon had my answer as I heard it swing open. Who was bursting in my house at 2:AM in the morning? Trying to decide if I was prepared to give up my money or my life, I soon had my answer. Standing there in the doorway, her hair-style resembling a fright wig, her I-Phone giving off an eerie laser-like beam, was my oldest granddaughter, a big goofy grin on her face, the faint smell of alcohol on her breath. “Are you OK, Nana?” she chirped. “I was just on my way home and decided to check on ya!” She went on to inform that the expressways and main streets and viaducts were all flooded, but that the power was still on in the neighboring town where my daughter lived. She insisted that I come with her, and I finally consented, having second thoughts as the water got deeper and deeper the further we drove. All around us cars were stalling as we followed a stream of them pulling onto the higher grounds of a nearby medical center with lanes leading to an exit where the streets deceptively appeared less flooded. Continuing our hazardous trek, my granddaughter driving like a mad woman on sidewalks and over peoples’ lawns, we finally ended up at my daughter’s house, where her dog got loose and went for a swim, soon returning when he realized he might drown. To make a long story short, although I endured some inconvenience, luckily my property sustained no permanent damage, unlike what befell people in some of the other suburbs, - the upscale ones where the more affluent folks reside. These places have been declared disaster areas. Terrible. And so went my week-end. Now I’m back home, grateful(?) to my namesake, who has always been nutty like me, and whom I love and dearly cherish! If you don’t have a free-spirited granddaughter in your life, you’re missing something. And if you're too old to worry about what happens to you, you might beat the odds.

H.L. Mencken endeared himself to me years ago when I read his quote about "nobody ever going broke, betting against the intelligence of the American public". Just as historians once wrote about Europe's "age of enlightenment", a hundred years from now, those who still have control over their minds, will provide an account of America's "age of dumbing down".

YOU were, as usual, talking about slave mentality, Chrishayden, because that's the stock phrase you rely on to dismiss anybody who disagrees with your racial views. Why? Because you are incapable of fine-tuning your perspective, totally stuck in the last century, paralyzed by a slave mentality of your own wherein you think "da massa" still controls the word "nigger". While mega-millionaire Mel Gibson is suspended in the limbo of what happens when a famous white person commits a racial faux pas, Whoopi has moved on, and will continue to enjoy her wealth and celebrity. BTW, you spelled "defense" wrong, Dumb-Dumb.

You don't rate a better response,carey. I waste enough time on you as it is. And I'm hip that you are using not only me, but other posters on this board. Almost everything you write is a re-cycling of somebody else's view or phrase or big word. You're a cheap imitation.

I think I'm ready make the switch. Maybe a new format will invigorate my reading habits.

Well, carey, just because you don't have the mental facility to easily access the different forums on this board, doesn't mean that I don't. And should you ever get over yourself and stfu, instead of being lost I would instead be satisfied that there was one less task on my "to-do" list.

What would we do if we didn't have Carey to take Blacks to task for not measuring up to his skewed standards??? First he mopes about white liars being given air time on Oprah's show. Then, he expresses his great admiration for Oprah. Then, wrapping himself in a holier-than-thou cloak, he proceeds to explain how the purpose of his song of praise for "Over-the-hill Gil" was: "a history lesson for those that love to assimilate white people. I just wanted them to add some blackness to their coffee that's been watered down with too much cream." In reading Carey's "lesson", we'll overlook how "assimilate" should be "emulate", and ignore the impossibility of coffee being "watered" down with "cream". Instead, let's focus on how Carey's smug explanation actually turns out to be a great description of his cherished Oprah "I-love-me-some-white-folks" Winfrey! Is this a glaring contradiction, or what? How inconsistent can you get??? (I hate all dem negros 'cept Miz "O"!) Egads, how can I not harass this wanna-be-know-it-all? I owe it to the critical thinkers of the world!

Look who's complaining about something not being "new". You had to haul out the same ol tired standbys that expose your lack of imagination when it comes to "put-downs". Get some fresh material, you boring ol flannel mouth. We've heard your Cynique litany sooooo many times before. yaaawn.(Guess you're gonna keep on doin it till you get it right.) As far as afrodaddy goes, because the site didn't conform to your preconceived notions, you proceeded to knock it. You couldn't grasp the idea that it is what it is - a genre, and that there is no need for it to be different from other sites; just better, or at least competitive. In maintaining journalistic integrity, being different just for the sake of being different is not a plus. Something you prove every time you try to write anything original. You're so busy trying to show off what you think you know that, as usual, you ended up looking like the befuddled old fool that you are. You can't even stand back and look at the total picture, much less think outside the box. I might add that the biggest thing the afrodaddy site has going for it, is its conciseness, something that you have absolutely no talent for, which undoubtedly accounts for the clueless rambling you are trying to pass off as a critique. Talk about somebody high-jackin a thread. Puleeze.

Are we looking at the same picture, Chrishayden? The last time I checked, Mel Gibson was in a world of trouble, his image ruined, his career in shambles, his future in jeopardy. Had he not made ethnic slurs, none of this would be happening. Who's the slave master here? Ol Mel is the one under the whip because he didn't succeed in shedding the shackles of political correctness. The roles have been reversed; something you can't discern because you are unable to liberate yourself from a certain mind-set.

Is this the same Chrishayden always pooh-poohing my opinions about things being better in the past than the present???? The same guy who implies I have selective memory and just don't remember how bad things used to be, - the same guy who says he'd rather be alive now than during any other time in history???? Guess the ol boy just thrives on things being fucked up, probably because it gives him the opportunity to rant.

Why are you trying to complicate something that is relatively simple, Carey?? I didn't get the impression that AfroDaddy is a forum for discussion, ala AALBC. Why would it need a monitor?? Its format appears to be more along the lines of an online magazine, offering a potpurri of advice, information, entertainment, editorials and news, with the message being just as important as the messenger. Your nit-pickin is off point because you don't seem to "get it".

I checked out your site and give you an "E" for effort. The format is professional and attractive, its content fairly relevant. If your target audience includes those looking to get their game together, "afrodaddy" would seem to be an appropriate name because implicit in this title is the idea of mentoring. This name also espouses your intent to represent yourself as a support group. Just to spice up the usual menu you are serving up, however, I would suggest a little subliminal injection via of quick multiple choice vocabulary and grammar quizzes. Being articulate and well-spoken is certainly an asset for any black man, and too many of them seem woefully inadequate in this area, expecially when it comes to the written word. This may seem pedantic and patronizing, even elitist but no "survival guide" should be without a Plan B. Having swagger and playa skills and street smarts and being adept at texting are fine, but if you are hampered by an inadequate vocabulary that contributes to a poor command of the English language, you may be missing out on opportunities. These tests could be wake-up calls for those who fail them, inspiring them to hone the skills that they don't realize they are lacking.

Screw Hemingway and his book. What does that have to do with the subject at hand? Donne wrote that poem over a hundred years before Hemingway was even born. How Hemingway interpreted it is irrelevant because the poem stands on its own. And refresh your mind as to what this thread is about and if you can't make a connection between coping with life in the hood and "the will to survive being instinctive" then just remain bogged down in your list-making.

John Donne said: "No man is an island, entire of himself. Ask not for whom the bell tolls. It tolls for thee." You cannot separate worrying about the welfare of your family from caring about what goes on in the neighborhood. Nobody is safe from the pervasive violence. No young person is immune to the pitfalls that tempt today's youth. Black communities are innundated with problems that impact on the well-being of everybody. Caring comes with the territory. You don't have to make lists of personal priorities or ponder about your values. The will to survive is instinctive.

When did it become a crime for black women to verbally resent men of their race deserting them for air-head barbie dolls or trailer park rejects? Didn't civil rights activists also fight for freedom of speech? Are you a black guy married to a white woman? Has disapproval of your union created a rift between you and "Becky"? tsk-tsk. Tell ya what. Why don't you ask your momma to provide a bosom for Miz Anne to cry on. This will give you time alone to deal with your insecurities that are undoubtedly assuaged by having a white woman on your arm. And I guess not being adept at giving "BJ"s is reason enough for black women to be jealous of white ones. LMAO. You should know better than to come to this forum and think you can escape being trashed for arrogantly defending mixed marriages.

I didn't absolve Mel Gibson. I said he was a "benign bigot", a title I gave him because he does not demonstrate enough aggression or wield enough influence or command enough power to be a racist. He's just like you. A loud mouth hot head, who shoots from the lip. Also, as I have repeatedly stated, Chrishayden, when the 1960s exploded on the scene, America changed, and this included the climate on the campus of at the U. of I.! Yet, you continue to ignore this in your rants. But what I described as my 1950s experience there were true. Just recently I discussed this with a couple of friends of mine who attended Illinois with me durng that time and we, ourselves, marvel at how things were during a period we have determined to have been between 1949 and 1956. This was a "golden" era that never existed before or after for a community of about 300 black Illini. For instance, at that time, Illinois was the ONLY CAMPUS IN AMERICA where there were black sorority and fraternity houses. (The AKAs, The Deltas, the Kappas, and the Alphas) I lived in the AKA house in my freshman year. I attended parties at the Kappa and Alpha houses, where we actually gathered around a piano and sang "Auld Lang Syne" and "For All We Know" as the evening drew to a close. Also, the student dormitories were integrated and I know from personal experience when I lived at Evans Hall durng my sophomore year, the lack of conflict between the black and white coeds there. We played Bridge with and bummed Pall Malls from our white dorm mates who would think nothing of knocking on our doors late at night to see if we had lecture notes from a class they shared with you. If you don't believe that a black AKA soror by the name of Clarice Davis was elected homecoming queen in 1952, look it up. J.C. Caroline and Mickey Bates, 2 black running backs on Illinois' football team were campus heroes! No black students had cars back then so there were no encounters with white police. We were warned to stay away from towns like Danville and Decatur because they had reputations of being prejudiced, and we did. What me and my classmates have decided is that 60 years ago, in a student body of about 25,000, at 300, we were a miniscule presence and were non-threatening. Nobody had a probem with us and vice versa. The student body was composed of college-caliber kids from all over the state of Illinois as well as a substantial population of Jews from New York. Very few of the local yokels attended the university. Then, - things changed, probably because campuses all over America were in a uproar over social injustices and the authorities clamped down. The bubble had burst and things were never the same at Illinois. Today, Black "Greeks" are practically non-existent on its campus and the black student body has dwindled to about a 100. The problem with you, Chrishayden, is that you can't accept a patchwork quilt. You want to make blanket judgments about everything. You cannot wrap you brain around the idea that among Blacks in America, FROM PLACE TO PLACE, FROM TIME TO TIME, THINGS WERE DIFFERENT! This is not dramatic enough for you, - doesn't lend itself to your rhetoric. It is your custom to focus on the most dire and volatile siutations to try and make your points. As Troy noted, you go for the hyperbole. But I say to you, your experiences at the U. of I. are no more authentic than those of mine. I say to you that my version of life in the 1950s, at which time you were a babe in arms, are based upon my personal experiences and I don't pretend to speak for everybody. A stand you might consider taking.

The peripatetic Whoopi Goldberg claims to be friend and confidant of every white guy whose name comes up on "The View". This is not about her slave mentality. It's about slavery's revenge. The word "nigger" has become so powerful that when it comes out the mouth of a famous white man it can ruin his career. Whoopi could be right in claiming that Mel Gibson is not really a racist. He's probably just a loose-lipped drunk who says what the average white person thinks. This makes him more like a "benign bigot", and puts him in a class with those who casually use racial epithets when referring to Whites.

I applaud your honest, eloquent and perceptive comments in regard to the ongoing conflict between black men and women. In fact, if I were a single young black woman I would not only take your advice, but I would track you down and throw myself at your feet and say, "Here I am. Lock me up in your 'Kage' and make me your prisoner of love"! But - as a widowed senior citizen, something keeps nagging at me. Why are black males so adamant about having a "strong" female? Casting a woman in this ambiguous role makes it difficult for her to be supportive and sympathetic because by being strong she loses patience with a needy man who depends on her strength. Power is a great aphrodisiac and a dynamic man is a babe-magnet. In exchange for her loyalty, a woman wants a man she can look up to and respect for his strength and good judgment. A man would be better off seeking an intelligent, interesting, charming woman to complement rather than equal him. But the philosophy of most brothers seems to be that "behind every strong man is a stronger woman - ready to prop him up".

Furthermore, people DO dream in color! And if it's God's job to paint the picture, why are YOU subjecting us to the smear of your finger painting? But I forgive you. You are young. Anybody who says a slut should know her place and be happy with what she is, - can't be all bad. All of you sluts out there, take heart!

Where do you work? For a garbage collection agency? Anybody as semi-literate as you has as lot of nerve demanding that black women be educated. Does it ever occur to a young black man like you that you have to bring something to the table, yourself, before you make demands on a woman. Take a long hard look at yourself and consider whether or not you know "your place". You would probably stand a better chance with a fat white girl than a strong sista who's got it going on.

Nope.