Cynique

Freedom an ability? Are some people more capable of selecting their freedom than others? Or have a better capacity to appreciate it? Or possess more talent when it comes to making choices? Slaves found ways to entertain themselves. Another paradox?

@DelBelow are 3 different definitions of paradox. A paradox is a seemingly absurd or contradictory statement or proposition which when investigated may prove to be well founded or true. A paradox is a statement that, despite apparently sound reasoning from true premises, leads to a self-contradictory or a logically unacceptable conclusion. A paradox involves contradictory yet interrelated elements that exist simultaneously and persist over time.

I've always felt that slave descendants in America created their own unique culture. For the diaspora to reach waaay back to our African origins and cobble together a generic culture gleaned from a continent made up of many different countries is almost a cry of desperation. Instead of clinging to the past, pride should be taken in how over 4 centuries we, as human beings, have scratched out our own niche in this country. ( The process of making kinky hair manageable by straightening it, for instance, is a part of our culture that should not be disparaged by those seeking to shame a custom which originated with blacks, - which made Madame C J Walker a millionaire, - and which spawned a traditional black beautician industry.) Our music, our cuisines, our colorful slang, our style and swag have created a black mystique envied and emulated by the dominant white culture. All of this transcends our pigment. I have also contended that the black experience differs from person-to-person, depending greatly on where you were born and raised. i, myself, am an 84-year-old mid-westerner who grew up a small town. I always attended integrated schools, including college, have never had a black teacher, and have never had a white person call me a "nigger to my face. And something i often marvel over is how during 1953 down in Montgomery, Alabama, when Rosa Parks finally balked at sitting in the back of the bus, I and a handful of other black coeds, resided in an integrated housing unit on the campus of the University of Illinois, a dormitory where white maids cleaned our rooms, and a white wait-staff served us our meals in the dining room. During this same period, when Emmit Till was lynched for allegedly ogling a white woman during his visit to Mississippi, one of my black dorm mates from Chicago was engaged to a white guy. Even my father as a farm boy growing up in Kansas during the early 1900s, attended an integrated one- room school house and swam in the same swimming hole with white kids during a time when lynching was common. I'm sure the kind of life i've led is similar to others who grew up away from the Jim Crow south. We blacks are as much different as we are alike. As in other cultures, a class division does exist within the African American community where the values and lifestyles of inner city blacks differ from those of upwardly mobile ones. ( Unfortunately, the caste system based on color persists across the board.) Considering their different circumstances and how varied blacks are in appearance, our diversity is stifled when branded by a white invention known as "race". This is where the familiar claim of blacks not being a monolith kicks in. It is also the point where i will fall back on my favorite axiom: "it is, what it is". To me this is the bottom line! The concept of race enables the discrimination which nullifies the idea of our being one entity made up of a single human species. So categorizing people by "race" does, indeed, benefit whites more than it does blacks because it allows the power structure to elevate to a superior status, the race designated as white. (i got the impression is that this is where Leone is coming from.) Also, I'm not convinced that race and culture are interchangeable. IMO, culture is a "way-of-life", not a "how-we-look". BTW, zaji, you are a very skilled writer. It's a pleasure to read your well-articulated views. Don't be a stranger.

It is a paradox, - one of my own making, and it can certainly be disputed and challenged.

You can acknowledge someone's opinion and accept their right to have one, and at the same time, disagree with it.

@DelLOL. Good point. Obviously there are all manner of manipulative forces out there: the many branches of the media, self-serving black leaders, paternalistic white liberals, political parties with hidden agendas, religion and its greedy expectations, - all examples of the duplicity which blacks are free to resist, but which their minds aren't liberated enough to inconvenience or obligate themselves by doing what would be to their advantage in the long run. They are sometimes their own worst enemy. IMO Semantics can involve the intricate use of language, a style i was free to employ in writing this post. I'm sure many will think i needed to be liberated from doing so. What word, if any, would you have found more coherent than "manipulation"? Or do you totally disagree with my contention?

Very true. The longer i live, the more i realize that everyone is the center of their own universe and the creator of a comfort zone that is governed by their ego. This is a coping mechanism that enables insecure individuals to dodge the slings and arrows of reality. Those who have the courage to view themselves objectively and relate to the world at large are who command my admiration. i have always found the most engaging and endearing folks to be those who don't take themselves too seriously and are able to poke fun at their foibles. They invariably turn out to be the most intelligent also.

Well, February is underway, ushered in by the ground hog seeing his shadow, an event signifying six more weeks of winter. February also signals the start of African American history month, an observance which sets aside 28 days every year for blacks to extol their icons, recognize their unsung heroes and bitch about the shadow cast by the racism that represents the ongoing "winter of their discontent". White racism is indeed at the core of black discontent, even as it sometimes takes a back seat to black freedom. Poster Xeon spoke about blacks being free to do all the things they deem necessary to advance themselves, if they so choose. Conservative columnist, Shelby Steele, was a tad more cynical when he recently wrote about freedom catching blacks by surprise, leaving them off-balance and unable to cope with the loss of victim-hood, something similar to what the father of black history month, Carter Woodson, mused when declaring that if blacks couldn't find a back door to enter, they would rip out the wall and make one. On a more personal level it strikes me as disturbingly ironic that it is not unusual to watch the local news where on any given night impeccable black news anchors enunciate the daily toll of black-on-black crime, offenses that run the gamut from children being caught in the crossfire of drive-bys, to elderly people being robbed and assaulted, to respectable hard-working folks having their autos carjacked. Any black Chicagoan choosing to explain this self-imposed genocide is free, however, to blame it on white racism. And there's nothing more stunning than having black intellectuals publicly debate the nature of racism. As is the case with perennial malcontent, Cornel West, accusing angst-ridden Ta-Nehisi Coates of being a whitewashed neo-liberal who has a masochistic fetish about the pain of systemic racism. White publishers pay these 2 big bucks to take advantage of their freedom to dissect white racism. Meanwhile back at the circus, the Freak presiding over a bunch of clowns under the white house big top, cruises along, throwing the constitution under the bus. In the course of delivering a state of the union address full of half-truths and self-praise, Trump became the object of disdain to black law makers who took advantage of their freedom to refrain from applauding his drivel. Troy reminds us that humans all belong to same big family, so when siblings exercise their freedom to accuse and abuse each other, this family obviously becomes dysfunctional. Welcome to America, land of the freed slaves. Bottom line, what they say about freedom not being free can't be denied. Freedom is a double edged sword because it allows whites the freedom to enforce racism. What blacks really need is to be liberated from the freedom to be manipulated.

JayZ really got a taste of humility, when he was nominated for 8 Grammy Awards and won none. Social media is crackling with a video posted by a 15 year old black kid, an obvious Donald Trump fan, telling Jay he did not speak for black people. The reaction to this rant was overwhelmingly negative.

That's a good pun.

@Pioneer1Typical of how you create your own scenarios and carve them into the wet cement of your brain, is how you continue to bring up my mention of a someone i have referred to as "trying to get next to me in the hope of lightening my fire", something your twisted imagination characterizes as a hot romance. I guess my debunking your pathetic theory about my being enamored of your masculine charms has put you in a projection mode. Also typical is how you can't accept what has become obvious. I disagree with you more than i do others here because they aren't stuck on stupid like you are. And your assertion that i reverse my positions and agree with you is a perfect example of your stating opinion as fact.

@Troy Are you serious? Of course Pioneer doesn't see what you mean about the way he debates. He's oblivious to his obstinacy and is the epitome of cognitive dissonance. And, I'd be willing to bet that's a wig Gloria Hendry has on, as was usually the case with those big Afros worn in movies during that era.

@Troy Thank you for being objective and putting things in perspective. Pioneer has turned into a drama king, unable to discern that when it comes to my facetious request, IT. AIN'T.THAT.SERIOUS. @Pioneer1Your frenetic performances directed at your phantom audience were better than any psychiatric input when it comes to satisfying my curiosity as to why i reject you. How you have reacted to this whole thing has provided great insight and revealed what makes you tick. The way you have framed this whole situation is how you deal with life in general. You plant little "that's-the-way-it-is" scenarios in your head, and they take root amidst an environment where your brain is on lock down, imprisoned in an ego-centric cell where the bars are forged from your myopic mentality. Let me express how i feel you have magnified the importance of having a name attached to this site. "Cynique's Corner" is a honorarium that Troy bestowed upon me for some reason that only he knows. i have no authority or say-so about anything that goes on here. Once in a while when newbies get a little testy,I remind them that controversy is the real name of the game on this site. Rarely do i try and pull rank. And with all due respect to Troy, and contrary to your impression, having a forum named for me means nothing. It garners no prestige or privilege. Those who come here couldn't care less about the name, because the subject matter is the draw. Furthermore, whether or not the name "Cynique" remains a fixture in the future, will not affect me in any way. i am very open to the possibility of a name change that would remove the pall of my cynical contrariness. The idea of my falling out with Troy or boycotting a place where i can come and share my thoughts is ludicrous. Whatever the circumstances, i will continue to post here whenever i have something i want to throw out there. Ah, - but you have injected sinister overtones into the proceedings, giving things the pioneer treatment . In addition to presenting your theory about me viewing you as a threat because you write long posts with videos and pictures, you go on to portray me as a scheming bitch jealously guarding my turf, and secretly turned on by your attention. Of course, you cast yourself as the hero, a muscle-flexing MAN warning me not to fuck with you, something i found more funny than anything. What can you really do to shut me up? You further accuse me of using bullying tactics and giving Troy ultimatums. Puleeze. Eager to gain Troy's approval, squirming in the clutches of your anxiety, you pressure him to take sides. Fortunately he didn't, because it makes him no difference. Nobody is bug-eyed and frothing at the mouth about this situation but YOU. Why? Because you are deluded and paranoid. i am aware of my flaws and I own up to them, but you cling to the idea that you are infallible. To do otherwise would apparently damage your inflated self esteem. Get a grip. Ditch the self-aggrandizement and develop some self-awareness. I'm sure a rebuttal to all of this will be forthcoming, and we'll be back to square one. So be it.

@Pioneer1As usual you don't know what you're talking about. i said i had "access to a personable 72 year old 'boy toy' who was trying to get next to me, hoping to light my fire". That's where it stands, not to mention that i prefer to be alone when i commune with nature. Something you are too obtuse to appreciate.

Every once in a while i need to connect with the elements and be made aware of my star child status. i arose at 6:am this morning, bundled up and ventured out my front door to stare up at the sky and renew my kinship with my astrological relatives. Local weather forecasters were predicting that a cloud cover would probably obscure the rare celestial phenomenon that was scheduled to take place this dawn. They said the same thing last summer on the day of the much anticipated solar-eclipse. But in both cases, their predictions didn't phase me. Just as i had a clear view of a big orange sun and was able to stand barefoot in the grass and watch its entire eclipse, a super "blue" moon was also very visible in the sky where i was last night, and i witnessed it gradually dwindle into a tiny crescent sliver and then go dark. i felt so exhilarated and close to nature standing alone in the dark, feeling but not seeing a chilly breeze swirl around my head. i won't be around the next time these rare events occur, and i consider myself fortunate to have witnessed them and been able to soak up the sun rays and moon beams which, actually seemed to revitalize me! Pantheism is starting to appeal more and more to me. I'm at one with the universe, going toward the light, headed for the vernal equinox. Winter is leaving.

LOL. Hi Xeon! What a coincidence. Just talkin about how i never disagreed with you, only to find myself now doing so. Natural hair styles are making a huge comeback among black women. And white women also wear hair extensions and wigs. It's a girl thing. I'm curious as to why black men never criticize brothers who wear synthetic hair extensions in the form of dreadlocks.

You can take it anyway you want to, you dimwit. Who cares? I don't.

Words of a desperate loser...hoping to save face. Admit it. Your clock has been cleaned. Get over it and move on. Your meltdown has answered my question. i always disagree with you because it's difficult to agree with a lunatic.

A great professional looking site providing a potpourri of material for anyone interested in reading or writing books. The table of contents in this online magazine is a menu made more attractive by the inclusion of pictures. It's a busy site that resonates with immediacy and verve. Would i subscribe to it? Yes.

SMH and LMAO. Again, why would i consider a nutcase like you a threat? Certainly there's nothing you can do to me. You can post from now until kingdom come and i would not be affected. Your presence here doesn't prevent me from saying or doing anything i choose; you do not inhibit, intimidate or appeal to me in any way, except in your twisted imagination. i mentioned Chris Burns and Xeno. Two bright, articulate guys who formerly posted here and who i invariably agreed with or was enlightened by, and who I was sorry to see go, and wish they would come back because you are a sorry fill-in who reeks with mediocrity. The last guy who posted here, gave me the creeps and i didn't care whether he stayed or went because i intended to steer clear of him. Del is a distant figure whose enigmatic posts always leave me wanting more. Mel is someone else i appreciate because she has such pithy things to say. Troy is remarkably objective and very smart! He and I don't bite our tongues around each other and often disagree; i don't think we ever fully resolved our mansplaining smack-down. He doesn't pamper me, and i don't lean on him. Another figment of your deluded imagination. And as far my giving him a choice between me and you, i was serious. i'm burnt out. You might be a novelty; a magnet for those looking to have their stale ideas reinforced, - or a good target for those looking to debunk nonsense. You have mentioned from time to time that you are nothing to look at. The tone of your words is always like a drone to me. You exude neither charm, sharp wit or great intellect, all of the things that command my admiration. Everything i know about you converges into an image of a poor ol repulsive reject, trapped in a dead-end world of his own making who, among other fantasies, pathetically thinks an 84-year-old woman has the hots for him. Puleeeeeeze. You got it all wrong, babe. You are simply my whipping boy. i have access to a personable 72 year old boy toy, a flesh and blood specimen who is trying to get next to me, promising to light my fire. i don't have to come to this board to get my jollies. Especially if you are what constitutes jollies! EU. Just another example of how stunted your mind is. Finally, you are so caught up in putting your spin on things, that you can't see how transparent you are. Your ego-manical rant provides a perfect portrait of someone out of touch with reality. You're who could benefit from some psychiatric attention. Maybe that'll be my next post in my effort to keep things interesting. Mel offered some intriguing input about you being a composite. Maybe so. In any case, birds of a feather flock together and all of you suck.

@Pioneer1As usual, i disagree with you. Where to begin? You flatter yourself. A threat, you are not. i could see this being a scenario with Mel, - but you?? No way. And let me make it clear that i have never felt Troy took you as seriously as you take yourself. i am not threatened by anyone who comes here and helps to keep things lively and interesting because very much of the time i have nothing to say, so i feed off of what other people post or - i write silly little essays like this thread. i also appreciate that Harry Brown always supplies good subjects for me to take to another level. If i had wanted to be the center of attention, i would've started my own blog. I anticipated that you would offer the theory that you did, and your self-serving rationale proved this. (Your words could've came straight out of the mouth of sara, another numbskull incapable of critical thought. LOL) But, believe it or not, when you don't post for a while, i actually hope that i haven't driven away the most prolific poster this site has. Even if your dissertations are often too tedious and mundane for me to finish because they are so fraught with opinionated generalizations, i am aware that others may not feel this way. I often wondered why lurkers wouldn't step up and support you, - while others like Xeon were quick to take you down. Your wimpy post a while back, expressing jealousy about my slighting you, even made me feel guilty. The one thing i always gave you credit for, however, was that you didn't seem to seem be a braggart. Boy, has that changed! And to make matters worse, you're deluded. EGADS! But thanks for your response, and I hope you're grateful that i provided you with an opportunity to get a lot of things off your chest. And to show that they're are no hard feelings, i am perfectly willing to have Troy relieve me of any obligation that comes with having a forum bearing my name, and to change the title of this board to "Pioneer's Corner" so you can ramble to your heart's content, preaching an inocuous gospel according to Nearpie. i am so jaded about everything, it's possible that my negativity casts a pall over the scene and new blood is needed to rejuvenate this place. A conclusion a truth seeker could come to. BTW, one credible theory in regard to my reaction to you could have something to do with a gnat.

@Pioneer1Do people have to go into detail as to why they dislike Donald Trump, who has personally never done anything to them? I said i was prejudiced against Africans, implying that i don't like the effect of their collective presence in this country. And i repeat:i owe you no further explanation in spite your attempt to emulate the incarnation of a wrathful African god. So take your "demands" and stick 'em up your flared nostrils.

Or a jack-off living in his fantasy world.

I'm curious. Does anybody have any theories as to why i am so routinely in disagreement with Pioneer? I, myself, have no clue as to why most of the things he says invoke my opposition. This is not something i have to work at; my rejection is genuine and readily forthcoming when it comes to the majority of Pioneer's assertions, - as opposed to former poster, Chris Burns, who i always agreed with. Strange. i actually disliked former poster Sara as a person, and this fueled my compulsion to dismantle her deviousness. When it comes to Mel, her ideas are so fresh that what she says coaxes my approval. i have normal relationships with Troy and Del, either agreeing or disagreeing with them, depending on the subject. Harry Brown always makes me smile unlike Pioneer who automatically makes me shake my head. Wonder why? Unfortunately, i am not mellowing with age. Maybe i spend too much time on social media and watching TV because so much of what i see and hear turns me off, and i'm becoming a misanthrope. Solitude serves as my retreat because me, myself, and i always agree there. Laughter is my salvation because this country is a ridiculous place full of crazy people. i'm one of them, you say.

@Troy Would you have any misgivings marketing Colin Kaepernick's forthcoming book by using a phrase like "we sell books by black "sons-of-bitches"?