Cynique

You're hopeless. You're thinking is so outdated. Your whole world would collapse if you viewed this subject objectively but you're stuck on stupid. if every black woman stopped dying her hair and wore it natural, very little would change. You naively think they would suddenly become submissive woman who would submit to polygamy and look upon black men as kings. Get real and wake up from your silly dream.

i question this. i think if you took a survey today, not that many middle aged black men will have read this book. Most of those who did read it would be past middle age. Also, this book was not a literary work of fiction but was an extraordinary autobiograhy written by someone who was anything but a non-descript invisible black man.

Does the lack of authentic reading matter about middle-aged rank and file black men have anything to do with this group, itself, not being noted for being avid readers of any genre? If there was a spate of books written by black men about everyday invisible black men, would these everyday invisible black men buy and read these books? i doubt it. The chances of black women buying and reading these books are much higher. TV and movies fill the void that exists in the publishing world when it comes to middle-aged black men, who are too bogged down with being black and middle-aged that reading books that mirror their prosaic lifestyles pales in comparison to the escapism offered by the media. Sad but true, but English Lit courses and posterity are the prime audiences for literary fiction about a breed that has no self-awareness.

@DelImpeachment, as you know, is not a guarantee of removal from office. Bill Clinton was impeached and beat the rap as did Andrew johnson back in the 1860s. Trump may be found guilty of being a dirty old man via the Stormy Daniels case, but if the conspiracy charges involving Russia don't inspire the Republican senate to indict their president, then - what? i believe Trump will survive this challenge and finish out his presidency, and that beating him in 2020 is the only hope for the Dems.

To trust in the idea that that those in power will adhere to the truth and obey the law is no longer a valid stance! That's the bizarre crazy thing about the Trump political charade. He and his supporters have created an alternative reality. Rudy Guilliani, with a straight face, said in a interview that the truth is not the truth. Trump has told his followers to not believe what they see, to just ignore what the evil press reports. The term "Fake News" is effectively used to squelch any challenges to his lies because of the public distrust of the media. His spokespeople abound in specious arguments, offering plausible reasons for the actual reasons. They revel in deceptive semantics and engage in double-speak. Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has become an expert at evading the facts. She utters nothing but empty words arranged in vacant phrases. They all operate on the principle that if they say something is true, that makes it so. Simply contradicting a fact is their way of dismissing what is so blatantly apparent. Currently Trump is introducing the idea of shutting down Mueller's probe, insisting it is nothing but a waste of time - a witch hunt with no merit. Nobody has the influence to prevent him from trying to interfere in this investigation. Discrediting witnesses who turn against him also works for him because they are all crooks like him who don't inspire trust. He turns villains into heroes and vice versa. He is co-opting the office of the presidency right before our eyes as he takes on the mantel of a dictator placing himself above the law, ready and willing to pardon his guilty cohorts. And himself. And as long as Republicans put their personal interests before the good of their country, very little can be done to put an end to Trump's disregard for the Constitution as he prepares to ram through yet another Supreme Court Justice lackey. Meanwhile, his nation-wide support remains solid in the 30 per cent range. Higher among Republicans. Elsewhere, the Democrats have no muscles to flex in this struggle. Yes, the majority of Americans disapprove of Trump, but they justifiably feel helpless inasmuch as even the ballot box is not immune to the devious dishonest tactics that fuel this presidency. And of course the booming economy works in Trump's favor as the long, drawn-out Mueller hearings are becoming bogged down with disinterest on the part of the public. Admittedly, i am a pessimist, which is why I stand by my belief that the only way Trump will leave office before 2020 is, in an attack of conscience, he steps down before his first term is over, for the good of the country. I hope i am wrong, and the only problem i will have if i am wrong, is that Pence will then be in a position to led this nation toward a theocratic oligarchy. If Trump does get kicked out of office, i do hope it will be within the next year because at my age, i could go at any time and miss this world-shattering event!

How compelling are the lives of middle aged black men? They are just carbon copies of the lives of middle aged white men. They all have the same hopes and dreams, fears and insecurities. Vital young black men are very visible in this country. They will one day fade into the blur of middle age after they have had their day in the sun. That's how it goes. Why is it so necessary to elevate middle aged men of any race, especially when women are kicked to the curb as they grow older.

Apparently the "hair police" don't realize that very few white women have hair that is naturally "platinum" or "golden blond". "Dishwater" blonds and those with mousy brown locks who want this color hair have to bleach, dye or tint their tresses . The terms "platinum" and "golden" are given to these shades to elevate these colors to the ranks of luminosity and value. A little overlooked fact about light bright hair is that it calls attention to a woman. And therein lies its secret. Black men just can't seem to accept that blond hair is about vanity and attraction. Hair dyes and tints are a billion dollar industry in this country. And black women are only a fraction of those who keep this industry afloat.

Some political pundits are reporting that cooler heads are backing off bringing impeachment proceedings against Trump, because the offenses he's accused of might not rise to the level of being illegal, allowing the Republican senate to dismiss charges. thereby enabling Trump to emerge stronger than ever. Mid-term elections and a 2020 defeat seems to be the most expedient goals. None of this is about guilt or innocence any more, because it's in the realm of possibility that the president will pardon himself, and there is nothing anyone can do about this without creating chaos.

Well, Steve shouldn't have been discounted. Harvey has become a brand. He has branched out from just being a comic, and now wears many hats. He is a talk show host (The Steve Harvey Show), a quizmaster( Celebrity Family Feud.} and a talent scout (Big Shots) all on prime time major TV networks, something Troy probably isn't aware of because he doesn't watch TV. And, Harvey's audience is not just black which helps make him widely visible. Guess we can conclude that the much-vaunted black unity concept is not really a factor in black success, any more than white unity is one in white success. Any competitive individual with great skill sets can make it in this country. Yet another myth put to rest along with the one about black women emulating European standards because they harbor self hate.

@Mel HopkinsMorgan Freeman/God is 80-something years old, and how could you overlook the most authentic proof of your argument when you omitted Steve Harvey from a list of which, with a few exceptions, consisted of guys who do not qualify as household names, something Harvey has achieved among both blacks and whites. And what begs the question in this debate, aside from black males being "visible" not necessarily being a positive thing, is if middle aged black men are so prominent and recognized, then why is everybody bitching about racism? Apparently, any black male can achieve the American dream if he just tries; after all, those you cited did it. A claim straight out of the playbook of white Republican Conservatives. If nothing else, this country is a land of contradictions.

To me, the middle aged men you mentioned are the few exceptions to the rule in a population of millions of mundane black men who simply go with the flow and are tokens who have a niche in the white Liberal community Black middle-aged men will make no waves when it comes to the most pressing issue of our time, - the deposition of Donald Trump. The one person who could really make a difference is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and he's a lost cause. But i appreciate your bringing to my attention the things i had no knowledge of when it comes to what some visible middle-aged black men are doing.

i had a taste of white entitlement this week-end when my kids surprised me with a surprise party on August 18th, my 85th birthday. in addition to my children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, all of the guests were friends of my kids because all of my old pals are dead or living out of the state. I jokingly likened the lively affair to a "wake" and a last chance for everybody to view my body because i don't want a funeral when i croak, just cremation. Anyhoo, among the guests was a friend of my granddaughter's who is white, in her 60s, and crippled with no close family members. She considers herself to be my granddaughter's god mother because she was an old friend of her mother's, and she has latched on to my granddaughter and her daughter big time, expecting to be included in all of their activities, inviting herself to all of our family events, unaware of how she comes across as wanting to be treated like a privileged character. She considers herself to be a liberal, hates Trump and racism, all the while exhibiting a know-it-all attitude, and take-charge behavior. She is OK in small doses but rather annoying during other occasions. So, according to my daughter, this pest almost spoiled the surprise. She arrived late and because she is crippled, took forever to make her way to the house because she had to park far away, all of this causing my granddaughter to have to ride around and make up excuses to me as to why she was taking so long to go by my daughter's house to pick her up so we could supposedly all go to dinner. Once things got under way, this woman took on the role of being the choreographer of how things should go, who should speak first during the testimonial lies about me being a good mother, about who should sit where, who should be in what pictures, naturally creating a place of honor for herself. After a while us niggas got tired of this white Miz Ann and started to roll our eyes at her, eventually just ignoring her, something that seem to puzzle and hurt her feelings. While the rest of us were partying and singing along with a marathon of Aretha songs, she just kinda pouted obviously miffed because, among other things, she couldn't hold my great granddaughter on her lap and monopolize her. And, of course, she insisted that her gift to me be opened first. Of course, this kind of behavior isn't exclusive to white people in the company of blacks, but it never seemed to occur to her that she was the problem, not us and i really do think she would've been much less assertive had she been among a room full of her white peers. Whatever. i was totally surprised, and a good time was had by all. Well, almost all.

@TroyYour answer makes me doubt the reliabiity of my memory on this subject. But i do know that i have brought this subject up before on this board because there are theories out there about we O-negative blood types being descended from alien life forms who hitch-hiked rides to earth on comets and meteors and asteroids. This idea really captured my imagination.

Let's just say, that black middle-age men might as well be invisible because they wield little influence over the direction of the country and this includes Obama. The high-profile over-achievers are successful in spite of being black and their visibility always seems to be in the area of making money.

Right, Troy, because a 5 year old's perception can be purely incorrect. @TroyThis exchange with ChevDove came up during the discussion on this thread in regard to RH negative blood. Did i remember correctly about your?

@Pioneer1All of the above is subjective. Everything you wrote is your opinion. To you, she's scowling; to me she is joyfully smiling. You say red clashes with dark brown, i don't agree. My impression of her appearance is entirely different from yours and there's nothing either of us can say to prove the other is wrong because impressions don't qualify as facts. Your inability to separate your opinion from fact is what puts you at odds with others so often.

No, i'm not saying anything because i don't know enough about the subject. And the only blood type i'm talking about is "O". i don't know anything about A or AB. I can say that this subject has comes up from time time in my experiences and in a room full of people, there has always been at least one other black person besides me who has O Negative blood. I know nothing about this condition as it relates to European people. I also know that the RH factor was just discovered in the 1940s during WWII when blood transfusions were at an all time high. i have no idea what my parents' blood types were, but when i was born in the 30s the Rhesus monkey studies hadn't been done, and whatever their types were, it didn't kill me.

My parents are just ordinary ol color folk. And i know several "black" people besides my kids and brother who are O, RH negative and one of them is medium brown skin. i think Troy said his daughters were that type because we've discussed this before when i joke about me being an alien since that's another theory about this blood type. 18% of the population of this country are RH negative and this undoubtedly includes at least thousands of "blacks". As you know, this blood type is considered the universal donor because it can be transfused to any other blood type. Do a little more research on the subject.

Welll, Aretha, although she was a Detroit girl, was signed with Atlantic Records during the Motown era back in the early 60s. She didn't make a big splash on the scene because back then R&B music had a galaxy of stars all making waves. Some were one-hit wonders, others like, Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson endured to this day, like she did. I guess "Respect" was what propelled her forward in the company of other divas like Tina Turner and Patti LaBelle and Dionne Warwick and Gladys Knight and Natalie Cole. Gradually, after regularly turning out hits, she just became a permanent fixture in the world of soul music. She was among the first musicians to be identified simply by their first name. "Aretha" was all fans had to hear, and in time, typical of black folks, Aretha was further shortened to just Rhee-Rhee. Her public watched her go through a lot of transformations as her weight fluctuated and she alternated between slim and buxom, always glamorous and glitzy. To me, she was like an old friend who i just took for granted. There was always an Aretha song out for me to sing along with. Altho, her powerful voice was what people were riveted by, she was also a great self-taught pianist. She started lessons as a child, but her teacher advised her parents to let her just develop on her own because she was a prodigy who needed no lessons. She had roots as a gospel music like many black singers and her earliest performances were in the church. She led a very interesting as well as tragic life which i learned about after reading one of the several biographies about her. Her father, Reverend C. L. Franklin, was a well known Baptist minister and civil rights activist who was a friend and contemporary of MLK. She will be missed but her music lives on.

During what time period in this country was King George I I president?

i am not a "white" female and my blood type is "O", and my RH factor is "negative". My husband was "O" positive. During my pregnancies, tests were taken and my RH factor built up no antibodies against my 2 "O" positive babies. My 3 other children are also "O" negative. So there are obviously variations to this paradigm. Maybe my blood type accounts for Africa never "calling me". i am totally indifferent to this continent and its culture. My hair in its natural state was bushy but as i got old, it thinned out and became wavy. My lips are full , my nose is neither keen nor flat, my skin light. In my prime, i had a slender body with long legs and arms. And there are millions more like me in this country. What conclusions can be drawn from all of this?

You're right.

@Deli think it was more like Malcolm reverted to his true self. His low life persona was a facade. He came from a good family. Changing didn't spare his life or make a difference in the world. @Troy You think "what" is a combination of all the people i described?

I Is Malcolm X god? Black people treat him like he is, like his words are the absolute sacrosanct gospel truth. He changed, ended up getting assassinated and his legacy is nothing but a bunch of quotes, that parroted what other leaders had already said. and what black people already knew but didn't say in public.