Cynique

Well, facts are a component of the truth. Where humans are concerned, you seem to be focused on examples of people afflicted with a cognitive dissonance syndrome wherein they cannot relinquish their beliefs even if the facts are right before their eyes.

Oh, no! A black pedophile preacher! Yet another instance for pioneer, the great chronicler of black culture, to find an excuse for.

My guy Colin Kaepernick has just secured a multi million dollar shoe deal as Nike makes him the face of 'Just Do It' 30th anniversary campaign. .

@Kalexander2I'm not talking about phenomena of nature. I'm talking about people and events, This is becoming a world where everybody claims their own truth and this is why chaos is brewing. At some point people have to endeavor to be objective for the common good. This is all i have to say on the subject.

No, that's not what i am submitting. I'm saying that when seeking accurate facts, one has to be objective and this involves not limiting your consumption of information to news organizations whose positions simply reinforce your own. Broaden your scope. Admittedly this is hard to do.

@Mel Hopkins @Chevdove Thank you! I didn't read this post by pioneer because i didn't feel like shoveling my way through what i figured would be a lotta crap, but i am sooo glad you two did read it and took the lecherous pioneer to task with your on-point rebuttals! (Of course you risk a reprimand from Del who regularly attacks Troy but thinks folks should go easy on his "little brother" pioneer because he loves some black people - some of the time. And of course pioneer will think y'all are being "thin-skinned" because you criticized his ignorant, boorish mentality.) Unfortunately I, myself, was more focused on Ariana's short dress than on the Bishop's taking liberties. I did think his reference to her name reminding him of Taco Bell, was an attempt at humor that bordered on racism. But y'all put things in proper perspective and, once again, I thank you!

the truth can lead to disillusionment because it can disprove what you passionately believe and this can destroy your illusions. of course it's not easy to divest yourself of being partisan. But you have to apply the same standards to yourself as you do to news organizations if you're truly seeking the truth. if you're not objective, then how can you demand it of other sources.

@DelI didn't say you skimmed over it. I was talking about what i did to pioneer's tedious drivel and your predictable defense of it.

How many times do i have to say i like to argue? I just recently mentioned in one of my posts that ad hominem atttacks lodged against me energize me. However, all of what i just skimmed over was so uninspiring i don't feel the need to respond.

It's hard not be partisan when vetting news sources. There's no way i can give a lot of credence to anything Fox News reports because i am so anti-Trump. I want to believe what CNN and MSNBC report because they are more aligned with my politics. So it is important to not only hold news organizations to a high standard but, as a consumer, to divest yourself of bias. Seeking the truth can be a frustrating quest because the truth plays no favorites and, as such, can also be the cause of disillusionment.

@DelWell, you and pioneer maintain a symbiotic relationship; he's not going to insult someone like you who has his back. i think you assuming the role of pioneer's defender is condescending, especially since you are an intellectual and he isn't. And you are an intellectual, albeit a thin-skinned one. You and Troy are peers and you don't really do a lot of name-calling per se. You describe each other in negative terms rather than name call. For me, it's often hard to take sides when you 2 argue because you both seem to know what you're talking bout, and i learn from your exchanges. I often resort to ad hominem attacks. When people lodge them against me, i am energized by them.

Everything i have written is in response to your questions and implied skepticism.

So, since it's a given that the future will resemble a cross-section between "1984" and "The Matrix" and assuming nothing can be done to prevent this because the "hoi poloi" are powerless, why preoccupy oneself with fretting about the inevitable? Live for the day in the moment and tune out the ongoing narrative of the voices of Doom. Who knows? The plutocracy might implode amidst a power struggle. Maybe the hapless black underclass will eventually cleanse itself via the self inflicted genocide that will result in the perpetrators killing each other off while making rogue white cops part of the collateral damage. Did i mention that i'm glad i'm old...

@Kalexander2 Face Book's role is limited to showing re-runs of news clips from CNN and MSNBC and Fox and BET, and providing links to newspaper and magazine articles. They do no reporting or editorializing. They simply make sources available for people to read and make up their own minds about. If you're more comfortable imagining what the truth is, then nobody is stopping you from doing this.

@Troy Aretha's survivors may have wanted it that way, or her sons and grandchildren, the latter who also spoke at the ceremonies, may have remembered her saying that was how she wanted things to be. I do know that when she lie in state for public viewing, she had on a red gown in acknowledgment of being a honorary member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority whose colors are red and white. In the picture here she has on a different outfit, so the idea of her appearing in other outfits is not that far-fetched. Everything about her funeral was over the top so i don't know why this is such an issue with you. It was over 2 weeks before she was buried, so her embalming was probably high tech, too. She did have 2 different caskets, a gold one and a bronze one, both of which i saw in video clips; one was undoubtedly rented. just because a person. doesn't leave a will doesn't mean they haven't planned how the money they leave is to be distributed. She was very scrupulous about her finances, always dealing in cash, demanding to be paid for her gigs in dollars and cents and always had a purse at her side jammed with 100-dollar bills. This is what all of her friends and business associates said in interviews, and what was also noted in her biographies. She may have not wanted her survivors have to go through all the red tape of probate court. People can just designate their heirs as beneficiaries on bank accounts and insurance policies to avoid this. .

An opinion based on anecdotal evidence is the hardest to discredit. As long as long people think their experiences are microcosms of the truth, it is very difficult to make them reconsider. Truth has become many-faceted and this foreboding fragmentation is the beginning of a coming world where alternate realities will dominate our lives. @DelWhy people think proponents of certain conspiracy theories should be regarded as prophetic is what escapes me. People have been talking about this so-called secret plot to control black folks for 50+ years and mostly all adult blacks are aware of this suspicion and give it some credence. You don't have to be an astute maven to parrot ideas about the Grand Plan of The Man. Black people are already prone to paranoia when it comes to whites, so warning them about the threat they pose is redundant. Especially since there's not a lot they can do, without giving up certain amenities in order to resist being programmed. But, the progeny you are all so concerned about, - the generations left to deal with who will be their peers and contemporaries may very well be able to cope with this.

But this was Aretha! The Queen of Soul and the consummate diva! You're missing the whole point. Her "wardrobe changes" were symbolic of her image and lifestyle. i wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't planned her own funeral to make sure it would be a fabulous final curtain call.

Obama was asked to give the eulogy at McCain's funeral; i think Aretha's family was OK with that, especially since the statement he issued at the time of her death was heartfelt. My family wasn't devoutly religious, but i can tell you my 85 years of attending black funerals have made me quite familiar with their protocol , - with the "home-goings celebrating the lives of those who have made their transition".

@TroyYes, she did have 4 costume changes - and 2 different caskets. Her hearst was a white vintage 1940's Rolls Royce. Why is that so unbelievable in today's world? Obama wasn't present at the funeral but Bill Clinton was on the podium and did speak.There were at least 25 different ministers who spoke at length. Sharpton was just one of many. Farrakhan was also on the podium but didn't speak. There was also a long parade of celebrities who took their turns at the mike. The funeral was, indeed, a grand spectacle, - a one-time event worth watching because of how it typified the traditional culture of the black churcch. You and the feminist crowd thought Arianna's outfit was no excuse for the bishop to familiarize himself with her body. Mostly black folk were scandalized by her scanty attire, considering it out of place at a funeral.

You guys are going a tad over board in you assessments of me. Intellectually, i'm in pretty good company here. Del can certainly be given credit for his self awareness, and Troy is admirably unflappable. Mel is full of zeal and humor, her confidence justified since she not only talks it but she walks it. Chevdove kills you with kindness; she's so nice you hate to oppose her. i can't find any fault with Kalexander, and i'm impressed with his being a Vietnam veteran, something he recently revealed; of course he may be lying but he did warn us about such tendencies. I like that in him. Harry's posts always make my day. i might remind y'all that i'm not a college graduate, either. Del looks upon pioneer's not having a degree as something that legitimizes his opinionated world view, - something that should immunize him against criticism. Naturally, i don't agree. i find pioneer to be the epitome of false modesty. For me, as soon as he prefaces a statement with "i may not be the smartest guy in the world", - i can count on him to start pontificating as if he is.

Feminist will totally reject my input but it is one shared by many who are asking why this nubile young nymph performed at a funeral wearing a low cut mini dress more appropriate for a Music Award Show or a Las Vegas extravaganza? As for the "international" emcee with "roman" hands and "russian" fingers, i'm always leery of any black preacher who calls himself a "bishop', something many of them do without the benefit an official anointing. i watched Aretha's marathon funeral on BET with its endless parade of sermonizing clergymen in competition for a spoken word award, interspersed between caterwalling church sistas reaching for the high notes, and the Bishop was like comic relief. Rhee-rhee was really given a grand sendoff. It's reported she had 4 different costume changes and 2 different caskets. She changed from the red dress she wore at her visitation to another fabulous outfit for her funeral. Her obituary was like a magazine, and her funeral procession was made up of over 200 pink Cadillacs. You go, Girl!

You made the statement below The statement below sounded like an answer to me. (But he didn't change my opinion about how partial he is to pioneer. )

@TroyAll of this from somebody who doesn't hang out on FaceBook. FaceBook keeps me informed about subjects that i've always had an interest in; i scroll past anything that doesn't pique my curiosity and this includes a lot of things. i am amused by the funny memes and intrigued by the metaphysical ones. Trivia quizzes and puzzles and old musical videos, also entertain me. And, needless to say, i like arguing with other posters there. I also utilize the message feature, in lieu of texting, e-mailing or phoning certain people. It may be your nemesis, but it works fine for me.

@Troy i guess you missed this post, (He's right about pioneer not being a conceptual thinker. He has no depth. )

@TroyHow do you know that the discussion i participated in wasn't a good cross section that gave an accurate consensus? Do you have a source that disputes this? Why would you think the conclusion i reached is so unreliable, especially since you, yourself, are a black man who is anti-Omarosa? Surely you don't think you are an exception. In spite of what you want to be true, everything on FaceBook is not fake news. To think this, makes you as bad as Trump. There a lot of articles and blurbs and videos on there that are accurate and factual just as much so as the YouTube excerpts which you rely on.