Cynique

Being "relevant" hasn't accomplished anything lately in the ongoing civil rights struggle. From the beginning the NAACP has always been about providing legal counsel for black people with grievances. They have currently take on the role of watchdog, attacking racism from a different front motivated , perhaps, by how ineffective BLM has been. Black people boycotting Amazon would just be a dent in the armor of this mega corporation, which not only sells books online but everything else under the sun.Incidently, Chicago is among the big cities competing to be the site of a huge new Amazon center projected to provide 40, 000 jobs.

Sgt. La David Johnson is the quintessential example of the service men who so-called patriots quiver about when they speak of those who died for the beloved American flag. This black hero lost his life participating in some ill-planned covert mission comparable to the Benghazi disaster, and '"45" consoles the grieving widow by implying that "her guy" knew what he signed up for, so tough luck. Johnson sacrificed his life by participating in a failed terrorist exercise, but because the piece of cloth he died for has been co-opted by white bigots who have a double standard when it comes to whose freedom and justice the flag is supposed to represent, he died in vain. To add insult to injury the Congresswoman who was in a hearse with Johnson's wife because she was a personal friend of the family, and who heard the conversation between the widow and president "pumpkin head" on the speaker phone, is now being called a liar who invaded the privacy of the widow by listening in on her phone call the from Tramp, and publicly revealing what was said. Now "she said/he said" bickering is going on between Trump and his team, which includes his chief of staff, General John Kelly. These devious apologists are trying to belittle and discredit the congresswoman. Another hot mess roiling in the American cauldron. I just wish the widow had taken the folded flag presented to her and thrown it on the floor because it does not live up to its promises. Demonstrating against discrimination is now considered unacceptable by most white Americans. A FaceBook video explained for those who don't know, that the Star Spangled Banner was inspired by a battle during the War of 1812 when American colonists were engaged in combat with England over control of Canada. About 600 escaped slaves participated in one particular confrontation, fighting for the British side with the promise that they would be freed at its conclusion. In the second verse of the anthem, the composer, slave owner Francis Scott Key, glorifies how the colonists successfully prevailed , and gloated how no runaways or those in captivity would be free from the southern tradition of slavery. Why would black people want to revere this irrelevant song? The black national anthem by James Weldon Johnson is so much more inspiring. Lift ev'ry voice and sing,Till earth and heaven ring.Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;Let our rejoicing rise,High as the list'ning skies,Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,Let us march on till victory is won.

I'm well aware that men use the lewd approach because they are crude. i don't think i am personally acquainted with any women with whom this approach as worked, however.

Poor movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein, the serial molester who has supplanted Bill Cosby as the poster boy for horny ol lechers. Why am i not outraged by his being outed by all of the mostly white damsels in distress coming out of the wood work, making accusations My entrenched cynicism no doubt. Or maybe, i feel rejected because I could not add my name to the swelling ranks of the "me, too" sisterhood of sexually harassed females. More likely because the "casting couch" has been a long standing joke in the movie business, wherein ambitious young starlets anxious to advance their careers, submitted to the sexual overtures of powerful Hollywood tycoons. Now all of a sudden, ambitious women who remained silent because they didn't want to derail their careers are coming forth, playing the victims. I've always considered any woman who was surprised at a man wanting to get in her pants as being naive. But perhaps "vulnerable' is a better description. In looking back, i couldn't think of any incidents that qualified me for membership in the "me, too" sisterhood of sexual harassment. Many men flirted with me on my job, but i took it in my stride and if i didn't respond, they moved on. Only once did a guy make a lewd suggestion to me and after i laid a few choice words on him, he grinned sheepishly and never bothered me again. i suspect because black women usually cuss out or blow off men who bug them and because most of these men aren't powerful enough to impede their progress, this latest feminist outcry doesn't resonate with them as much. Of course, rappers like Dr. Dre are the exception. Dating back to slavery days, black women have had to deal with sexual aggression and they've learned how to be just as manipulative as their predators. Of course, rape and domestic abuse put all women in jeopardy. I'm sure many would dub me as "old school" and would disagree with my view point. So be it. I'm so sick of everything that's going on in the world that i've become desensitized.

@TroySorry for how incoherent my previous comments were. i was sleepy when i wrote them. i did try and edit them, just now. So, I want to know that since you were surprised or couldn't tell that certain sites were white-owned, doesn't this mean that blacks running them control what is being meted out to the black community, making sure their output has relevancy and authenticity? And that they are not manipulated by the owners who are conceivably only interested in profiting from providing blacks with venues to communicate among themselves. In your chronic displeasure with them, are you further claiming that Facebook and Twitter somehow influence the black dialogue about race and gender, and that these identity politics are being manipulated by them? Granted, that domain owners monitor the tastes of their traffic and direct advertisers to them via e-mail - spam that can be deleted without even being opened, but are these sites, per se, the opinion makers for black people? Or are black people sharing ideas and either commiserating or debating things that are constructive and relevant to their community, exchanges that possibly trigger reform? At the risk of being repetitive, it seems to me that webs and social media sites simply enable black folks to express themselves - on many levels. They reflect and reinforce black culture, not dictate it. What would black-owned sites do differently?? i didn't read the aforementioned article yet, but i have been guilty of saying that those who deconstruct the people who patronize these sites are, themselves, the ones who are the "know-it-alls". i've always contended that black people are actually aware of the negatives of social media, but they don't care. Going to these places adds a dimension to the lives they lead , - or want to lead, and they go there to reaffirm themselves through pictures and comments. i'd be interested in hearing how critics would change or improve what they consider a detrimental pass time. i assume the article covers this.

I think i am typical of people who to whom all of these figures and statistics go over the head of. What i am curious to know about this battle between black entrepreneur Davids against white monopolistic Goliaths is whether there is any info that suggests that black web sites owned by white corporations are misleading black people, telling them lies, "controlling their narrative", not representing what's authentic and are a negative destructive force in the black community? Are these sites shaping back opinion - or are they shaped by black opinion? Is the fact that these sites, which attract a vast audience and provide a platform for black issues, represent profitable business ventures for their owners something that should be a major concern to anyone other than the black rivals of these white capitalists? I always have a problem with regarding consumers as victims if they take advantage of the useful, convenient and often valuable services made available to them by those who exist to serve them. Isn't there something to be said about reciprocation? (My turn to play the devil's advocate.)

How come i'm just seeing all of the preceding comments? I agree with what everybody said. i think i missed the rest of this thread because last week, i was staying over night at a nearby hospital after my daughter carted me off to the emergency room when i complained about "activity" in my chest and shoulders, the closest i could come to describing what i was experiencing. i got so frustrated when the staff kept describing me as being in pain, that my blood pressure spiked to a dangerous level. Once i settled down in the waiting room, distracted by the odd collection of other people waiting, i forgot about the nurse not understanding that it wasn't pain i was experiencing, but was simply - "activity", and when they finally took me in and started monitoring my blood pressure, it dropped way down. That, along with my EKG , blood work and Xrays showing nothing abnormal, I was ready to leave. Not so fast, old lady with Blue Cross federal workers insurance and Medicare. They weren't letting me go home. No sir. The doctor probably wanted to observe me more, because he seemed totally riveted when i told him that i have these episodes from time to time and they were like out-of-body experiences, where everybody's voices sounded faraway, and i felt like i had weights on my feet when i was walking. i don't know whether it was the psycho ward or not that they eventually rolled me into. Anyhow, to make a long story short, the next morning after enjoying a hearty breakfast in bed, and refusing a stress test and a flu shot, they let me go with blood pressure prescriptions as well as one for anti-biotics. I know my blood pressure will spike again when i get the bill. i'm lucky that my insurance and medicare will cover most of it but my premium will probably rise, considering that it is not unusual for an emergency room visit to cost at least 12 thousand dollars! Old age can be a bitch.

When all is said and done, black people are frustrated and resentful because white people are in power doing what black folks, themselves, would be doing if they had the upper hand. Nobody shares power because "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Whites seized power, overwhelmed blacks and to the victors go the spoils that include being in control, revisionist history, and entitlement, all of which blacks would've fallen heir to, and relished and enforced had they possessed the wherewithal to overwhelm whites. That's the ugly truth. And black folks will just have to learn to live with it, have to acknowledge that they are America's stepchildren, hungering for a piece of the pie but having to be satisfied with a few crumbs, while standing around endlessly droning about unity and being manipulated. (Apparently being entertained and having their interests catered to does not count as compensation.) and so it goes. And I don't know why people can't discern that the Kaepernick protest was always about the flag, a challenge to a piece of cloth to deliver on its promise of equal justice under the law to all of its citizens who are supposed to be free to exercise their first amendment rights by protesting when equal justice is denied. White people figured this out and it's eating them up to have to be in the position of implicitly denying blacks this right that black men also fought for, even as they were being lynched and denied the vote and segregated. All those whites pissing on themselves about this can only distort the message and resort to cloaking their racism in patriotism in an attempt to villanize the messengers. Yes, knee bending was ostensibly about the misconduct of white police but you can't separate this issue from racism. It's what racism is all about, and what this country and the flag are all about! i'll never consider bending the knee a failure because it shook up and angered hypocritical Americans. I'm done.

It should be obvious by now that white advertisers don't care about what message, deliberate or imagined, their commercials send to black consumers. For every black person who is offended, there are 2 white people who are sick of political correctness and will either continue to or start buying the product being cited for being racist. When these advertisers apologize, they are just giving lip service so as to not appear insensitive. Black lives don't matter, and black grievances are perceived as being annoying or unnecessary, or ungrateful. The silent white majority can't understand why blacks are so discontented when so many of them are doing well, while the rest of them are killing each other or committing crimes. Rich and famous blacks, are actually resented by working class whites. i have become burnt out trying to justify why blacks have reason to complain. This is exacerbated by everything else that bugs me about Trump and his support base, and i find myself wishing bad things would happen to him. Like a bolt of lightening striking him in a public place for everybody to see, and get the message that god didn't sent him here to save America.

Do you think when authoritarianism and domination take the form of structure and strength, that those subjected to this feel more secure and protected as long as such control is not abusive. Does a population secretly want a Nanny government if this means calmness? That's what the book's author seems to implying.

Everything is so crazy nowadays. Surely Dove's advertising department couldn't be that insensitive to how such a commercial would be viewed unless, of course, it was using reverse psychology in order to reinforce its white users feeling of white skin being a paragon of beauty. Dove's sales will probably rise as a result of black women protesting this commercial. White America is very sick of the political correctness that calls for tolerating black people's grievances, privately thinking "you people" need to stop complaining about everything, and just be glad you can live in this great republic and maybe even have a good job. My regard for this country is nil. Donald Trump has succeeded in bringing out the worst in both races, fomenting divisiveness. I am revolted by all of the ignorant stupid mostly white people who surround and support this "fuckin' moron" in office. They all make me cringe, and - i'm sure i would have the same effect on them inasmuch as i detest everything they stand for and hold dear. I couldn't even muster up a whole lot of concern about all those people killed and injured in Las Vegas because i've convinced myself these country music fans were the type who would support Trump and blindly revere the flag and the national anthem. A new book coming out is advancing a new theory about Americans. It describes an attitude that the author claims crosses color lines and political parties, a certain trait most of them consciously or subconsciously possess. What is it they all have in common? Authoritarianism, defined as: the enforcement or advocacy of strict obedience to authority at the expense of personal freedom. The author elucidates, saying deep down inside Americans really want parameters and want everyone to adhere to structured behavior and common standards because they feel secure with rules that maintain stability. Rebels are frowned upon and unorthodox or peculiar people viewed with suspicion. What this author seems to be implying is that Americans secretly believe too much freedom is dangerous for the common good and really do want a nation of sheeple and clones, presided over by strong leaders. Is he right? i know many people who abhor dissent and prefer peace and harmony at any cost. Being argumentative, I encounter these kinds almost daily.

i fail to see why some people hold TV in such low regard. To me, it is a window to the world - if you have premium cable. All you have to do is be a discriminating viewer. There all kinds of interesting educational and entertaining programs to watch on the History, Science, Discovery, National GEO, channels, plus travelogues, documentaries, a whole catalog of classic movies, comedy specials. There are also the music channels where you can hear any type of music you like and of course PBS. Then there are the late night talk shows and their celebrity guests who you get to observe and "hate on". For somebody like me, a great evening is to relax on my recliner, nibble on some snacks and sip from refreshing beverages and watch TV. Television is my companion and my "remote" is my enabler. When i get tired of that, going "on line" is my other option where i can interact on FaceBook and AALBC and play Bridge with live partners, and Solitaire by myself. My venturing out into the real world is limited to my daily walks up and down my neighborhood, something i equally enjoy. if i didn't have these diversions, i would have nothing else to do but read books and work crossword puzzles, because i'm not interested in doing anything else... I've been a reader all my life, but a book has to be awfully compelling to command my attention these days and would preferably be biographical or non fiction. Senior citizen activities don't really appeal to me as an alternative to my "sedentary" llfestyle. My peers and i don't seem to have a lot of common interests. Wonder why? Oh well. Whatever.

@TroyI am not an important person who wields a lot of influence and what i say or think reaches very few people and has very little effect. So what difference does it make to you that i gravitate toward Colin Kaepernick instead of Louis Farrakhan who you aggrandize and continue to jam down my throat in spite of the fact that, unlike Kaepernick, this adversary of Malcolm X never sacrificed his job or his wealth to get his message across. A someone who i relate to very little. Being an arm chair supporter of Kaepernick is a personal choice i have made in the year 2017, something which i really don't have to justify or apologize for. So, you'll just have to somehow find a way to accept that i, and i alone, decide whose cause i support, and stop obsessing about my decision. Of course you will say that i typify those who gravitate toward Kaepernick and that we are all wrong and misguided, and that your aversion to the media and a guy you think is innocuous, qualifies you to be the person we should be listening to. This in spite of how little you know about what Kaepernick is currently and quietly doing with his money, something the media doesn't report, but which I am told appears on a web site, information i heard Ta-nehisi Coates dispense in an interview. History may very well be the judge of which one of these men had the most impact on the civil rights climate in this entire country rather than a small cult within a black minority in white America.

I've finally come to the conclusion that there is an element among blacks who position themselves as "being in the know" about all black matters, as opposed to others who they presume are clueless. And my conclusion about the first types is that they are conspiracy theorists. It's like they believe there's an evil cabal of white men who regularly meet at a secret location and map out and design what they are going to do to dupe and keep black folks in check, also deciding how they are going to divide up the financial gains generated by black consumption. And, of course, the despicable media is in on this, working in cahoots with these sinister figures to brainwash black masses too stupid to be aware of how they are being used. Unless, of course, this exploitation is brought to their attention by these vigilantes who, at every opportunity, reveal to their lesser brothers and sisters - what black folks have known since slavery, - that you can't trust white folks! Something all blacks have the guile to deal with, every day in our own way! It's in our DNA. Ironically, white slave masters have been replaced by black overseers, telling us who and what we should be entertained by. Plus, if a black individual or group publicly challenges white oppression, they risk being described by these same black "watch dogs" as being manipulated by the media and exploited by corporate America. Is this a Catch-22, or what? What's further interesting is that, where the entertainment business is concerned, these black spokespeople create their own scenarios when describing the dynamics between white record companies and black artists. And these scenarios cast blacks in the roles of dummies in the scenarios they say white record companies have designed. Ya need a score card to tell the players... I prefer ranting against the flag and the national anthem to express my contempt for white patriotism as opposed to carping about the paternalism and greed of white record companies. To each his own. @Mel Hopkins i laughed when you called me a "veteran journalist". My resume can't compare with yours, babe. i'm actually a just a malcontented writer, and retired postal clerk.

Are these fools walkin around in saggin jeans, shooting each other up in the ghetto, knockin up their baby mamas and leaving them to raise their kids alone, the "lovely" back men of whom you speak?? Puleeze.

Because i didn't like Farrakhan's misogynistic religion or how he lived like a king at the expense of his sheeple. in public he never did anything but rant about jews and preach ad infinitum about the Koran. When he told Steve(?) Wallace off on the TV clip you posted, I agreed with him. I prefer Kaepernick's dramatic form of protest.

@E. Marie LambertYou're overlooking TV. There are all kinds of programs aired on it, showing black people in roles that aren't negative. You're one of these self-appointed reformers who think blacks should be monolithic, tailored to an image you want to dictate. The black community is and always will be diverse and unique . We are not clay, waiting to be molded by do-gooders or pawns invented by white corporations. We are originals who are imitated just as much as we emulate. The hip-hop/rap nation spawned by urban innercities is what it is; an edgy, ghetto-fabulous sub culture, and all the lecturing in the world is not going to make it miraculously vanish. Plus, you act as though rebel elements don't exist in other ethnicities. Outcasts of every stripe make up the crazy quilt of society. That's what reality is all about in an imperfect world. You dismiss what Mel says because it's incompatible with your agenda. But what she claims does have substance inasmuch as she speaks from experience. You are apparently on a mission, and good luck in your goals couched in the tired ol patented rhetoric that has never materialized because the black race is too fluid. But the cream does rise to the top; that's the best you can hope for. Meanwhile, this elder will continue to use the word "nigga" as I see fit. I offer no apology for something I've been doin all my life, just like I've been listening to your empty "formula for success" for at least 65 years. 'Even believed in it once. But, - press on and pardon me if I've become jaded.

@Troy i still say we are not on the same wave length. Of course i brought up the post office because its work force is such a broad cross section of the black populace. Why wouldn't i inject it into the point i was making about my not being in a bubble when it came to the seamy street life that is a part of the Rap fabric. My exposure to Rap goes back to the Last Poets. i never got deep into it because my taste leans toward other forms of music. In regard to your point, It's never been any secret that rappers sprang from an environment of poverty, or that record companies saw the potential for profit by marketing their "art-imitating-life" music. Bottom line, young people of all races and classes got in sync with the cadence of its spits and the vibe of its rhymes. Why did they do this? Maybe precisely because they were young people. And they were bored with their monotonous lives. Who knows? Time may or not bring change. Do you know for sure everything you say about Kaepernick is authentic? Yes, the media contributed to things rocketing out of proportion. For this i thank them. and i thank him for creating chaos. Because order only benefits the system.

That's because you do not embrace existentialism. "what the fuck" embodies many reactions including one of wonder and surprise.

@TroyAnd you are so fixated on my being fixated on Colin that you can't process that it's not about the messenger, it's about the message because I AM DISGUSTED WITH WITH AMERICA AND THE FLAG AND ANTHEM THAT ARE A CROCK OF BS. Whoever puts that message out gets my support. Get it yet??

PRETTY MUCH.

@TroyFor the umpteenth time, there is room for all types of protest in the movement! Why does Kaepernick's bringing attention to racism stick in your craw? i don't have a problem with these unheard of leaders you prefer, those who choose a different way to "get things done", so why do you begrudge Kaepernick any success he evokes? Nobody is even asking you to support him or agree with his methods because your disapproval doesn't make any difference. i am not alone in supporting what Kaepernick's method of agitation has produced. Its ripple effect has inspired people to step up their own activism projects. But, continue to waste your energy, ruminating about his boat rockin.

@TroyWell, once again, we are on different wave lengths.The post office where i was employed during the late 60s up to the mid-90s was where people from all classes worked, and this included, hard-drinkin, drug-takin street people, - sly skeezers and slick playas. To me, Rap, the subject we're discussing, is about the street life and all of its hustle and grit - a spin-off of hip hop and its "keepin it real" credo. It's not about poverty per se. It's about the way people shrewdly dealt with it, the kind of action "street" people are familiar with. Are rap videos about poverty? They appeal to people who live in the inner-cities, because they identify with the tawdry dangerous side of it. And need i remind you that white kids also listened to this music, living vicariously through it. Black college kids listen to it, too, without emulating it. Also running concurrently with Rap's popularity were Prince and Michael Jackson, Sade and Maxwell, Boyz to Men and TLC. This is what the many-faceted music world is about. Record companies making money. Recording artists gaining fame. And the beat goes on... i am not "enamoured" with Kaepernick but I am compatible with what he is protesting. You should know by now how disenchanted i am with amerika and the racism and hypocrisy which that deceptive flag and jive-ass anthem symbolize. Jesse Jackson and Farrakhan are from another era. Their day has passed. i need fresh blood to feed my militancy.

The picture of MLK kneeling was posted on FaceBook by his daughter, so she thought it was timely. Considering what his mission was, when King bent a knee, he was demonstrating against racial injustice among other things. He is leading a protest march in the picture, where his lieutenant, Ralph Abernathy, is also shown. You guys look for any excuse to discredit Kaepernick. i support "Chance the Rapper", a Chicago guy who is doing a lot good for the community, donating a million dollars to the city depleted school funding, and calling out both Chicago's mayor and Illinois' governor for their foot dragging. People have even been touting him for mayor but he says he's not interest in running for office because he has enough sense and humility to declare that he's a musician, not a politician. "Common", another Chicago Rapper, is doing good things too, giving back to the community. i don't know of any other individual who is publicly protesting racism. Which shows what the power of using a public venue at your disposal to call wide spread attention to black grievances. i keep telling you this is one strategy in a movement. i think BLM has good intentions but i'm not familiar with any of their leaders. What black leaders do you support, Troy and Pioneer? Stew in your juices, fellas.

This Las Vegas carnage took place at a concert hall filled with country music fans who are pretty much in the corner of the NRA, as well as being likely supporters of Donald Trump's brand of patriotism. i find it ironic that this gun violence took place during a concert where the audience had previously stood with their hands over their hearts and sung a rousing rendition of "God Bless America" . Shit happens. There's also some irony in how the catastrophe which visited Puerto Rico, moved on to another target to remind Trump that disaster doesn't discriminate. i may be guilty of politicizing a tragedy and being sacrilegious, but that's what this country has made of me. i do feel sorry for anyone who loses loved ones under any circumstances. C'est la Vie.