Pioneer1

Troy Was the intent to show how it feels to a guy when an unattractive women is attracted to you? What make it funny? I wasn't in the head of the writers who wrote it but, like most comedy skits where men dress up like women...it was funny to ME because of the blaring contrasts. When it comes to cross dressing comedy, they almost always use MASCULINE men to do it instead of men who could actually pass for women if they tried..lol. It's for this reason you'd probably never see someone like Pharrell dressed up in drag for comedy. This contrast...the obvious ridiculousness of it...is the humor. This is a big deal. I benefited a great deal with my office space in Tulsa. I'm working with someone to establish our own coworking space in Tulsa as well. I'm actually in Florida right now, looking for office space (shared). Silly question but....🤔 What exactly can you do in these public co-working spaces that can't be done in the comfort of your own home if you cleared out a room and dedicated it to office work? Is it a psychological thing? Does being too close to home (actually at home) relaxes you too much and takes you out of a business/work frame of mind? I ask, because I've passed by DOZENS of these "shared work space" buildings and although I haven't been in one...they keep their doors locked....what I SEE when I look in them are a bunch of people sitting at tables tapping away on computers and getting up from time to time to little mini-kitchens to grab some coffee or tea and going back to their little space. Hell, they can do that at their local library. A couple thousand for a decent desk, fax machine, printer, ect...is probably worth it for a home office. PLUS you don't have to worry about Covid...lol.

Troy I'm not sure there are any "upper class" Black people in America it is more than a function of wealth. Well you have 3 upper classes: Aristocrat (wealthy) Rich Professional You definitely have Black people in the Rich and Professional classes. Byron Allen and Oprah are clear examples. Aristocracy....I'm not to sure. Usually you don't hear about them and you don't see their faces on television or in magazines. You don't know who they are unless they WANT you to know! But in terms of wealth relative to the Black masses like me -- there are plenty of upper class Black folks. I've had a brush with a few. None of whom I could call a friend. It is if we could not be friends, as I can't "roll" with them since I can't afford to do what they do or go where they go. 😆Stop clowning Negro...YOU'RE part of the Upper Classes yourself, lol. You're clearly part of the Professional Class. You and Mel. I'm not sure about Cynique or Del. I don't know about your finances but your education and career field automatically puts you in that class atleast. Your academic career and literary career puts you in close proximity with plenty of other Upper Class Black folks. Plus they have to be careful about who they open up to since people would try to take advantage of them. Some of those people might be me, lol. Because if I had a rich friend I'd be trying to get all kinds of favors from him/her. Not just seeking financial favors, but social and political connections as well. However the favors I asked for wouldn't be the typical "mooching" type where you just lay around asking for money; they'd be more "strategic" where I'm constantly setting up business meetings or events for Black empowerment. There are not many opportunities for Black people of different classes to mingle. This is an issue that has gotten worse since integration (I believe). Facts. This has also lead to increased animosity between wealthy Black people and working class/poor Black people. Not just the friction that comes from being less off, but because of integration - most wealthy Black folks have moved to Caucasian areas and have adopted much of THEIR cultural habits. ....which automatically sets them at odds with the more traditionally cultured poor and working class AfroAmericans. There are some Black folks who let their kids kiss dogs now...lol That was a DEFINITE "no no" in nearly all Black households when I was a kid, despite their income. Letting dogs sleep in the same bed with them was UNHEARD OF in the old Black communities despite financial status. A quick search did not reveal the cause of his untimely death. He might have exposed too many secrets.

ProfD When the business requires moving into a building the owner(s) will know. Like when they run out of room in their grandmother's basement for storing boxes of t-shirts or mix-tapes? Or when she starts upping the rent money to deal with the inconveniences of having to move 10 boxes every night just to do her laundry? "DeMonte! Gitcho ass down here and move this shit outta the waaaaay!"

Cynique More significantly, I wasn't looking for an apology from you. i just wanted to let folks know that you have a habit of trying to make people think I have the hots for you, dating waaay back Right.... I'm sure your erratic BEHAVIOR towards me doesn't lead them to believe such a thing. I'm sure you picking fights with female posters who dialog with me or agree with me wouldn't cause them to believe something to RIDICULOUS....lol So, spare me your moralizing and lectures. All you have to do is ignore my posts like I usually ignore yours and we will be fine. I m just here to write essays for lurkers. I've studied your entire post but for some reason didn't locate and ANSWER to my question. An apology was offered. The acceptance or rejection is still pending however. But I won't badger you for an answer. You do YOU boo boo...lol

Or it might have been a set up. As dangerous as weapons are....to actually KILL someone with one means the right amount of damage in the right spots. The chances of that happening by "accident" are pretty small. They exist..... People are accidently shot to death every day. But compared to those who are merely WOUNDED by a neglegent discharge....it's minimal. I'm not not saying Alec himself may have intended it. But perhaps someone who's job it was to ensure that it was using blanks instead of live ammo, maybe.

ProfD The late Dr. Frances Cress Welsing said black folks shouldn't procreate until they're at least 30 years old and married. That would definitely solve a few problems and prevent crimes. I remember she said that often. I notice that children who come from older parents tend to be better adjusted than children who come from teenaged parents. This isn't ALWAYS the case, but it is in the majority of cases. Older parents usually have gotten their "mistakes" out of the way early so they know what they're doing by the time they get into their 30s. Cynique No you're wrong. There's no inconsistenccy here. Just your lame attempt to try and distract from the fact that my paraody went over your head. Oh, is THAT what it is? Ok.......

Mzuri BTW, the above comment was intended to be humorous. Well I'm not Dave Chappelle (sorry Mel..lol) but let me give you some advice.... With few exceptions.....almost any statement with the word "coitus" in it probably won't be seen as very funny, lol Kind of like telling a "gerrymandering" joke. Cynique You can go to the drug store and purchase an early pregnancy test kit which if administered 6 days before your expected period, will give you a 98 percent accuracy result. So.... Your scenario about a woman finding out she's pregnant a week after conception wasn't such a joke or exaggeration AFTER all. You just needed more confirmation of it's possibility before standing by it. Yeah....ok...😏...gotcha, lol

Cynique Who needs apologies? I don't. Maybe it's not ALL about you. Ever thought of that? Maybe a person with MORALS and ETHICS who feel that they have offended someone, NEEDS to apologize to be true to themselves and THEIR moral code. ....regardless of whether those offended understand it or not. I can see why Mzuri posted a picture of a cat up there, lol. Now are you gonna continue walking around in circles sniffing, asking questions, sitting on one end of the room and then walking past and sitting on the other end staring at our apology? Or are you gonna be a mature adult and ACCEPT it?

ProfD Everything is about scale. Not all businesses require a physical location which generally means more overhead and operating costs. True But this so-called "modern" business environment is giving too many AfroAmericans an excuse to be be lazy and stagnant. I've ran into so many Black folks who are claiming to be "business owners" and "entrepreneurs" passing out cards and shit. But their businesses are online. Little pop-ups here and there. Don't get me wrong there is need for an online presence. But what we need MORE of is solid brick-n-mortar businesses. A place to lay your head and wash your rusty ass when you come to town for business. A Black hotel will give you that. But some "online" crypto-currency crap won't. The internet created a paradigm shift in the way businesses set up and operate. It's definitely a win for smaller businesses. The internet...yes. Social media in specific...I'm not so sure. Jury's still out. I remember when facebook came out some many Black businesses SWITCHED OVER from having an actual website to just getting a facebook page. Sheer laziness and lack of forward thinking. Why would you give up your independent website just to sell your wares under someone else's domain/roof? Now at one of my main soul food restaurants if you want to take a look at their menu you have to sign up for facebook and become a member. Absolutely ridiculous. Our people need to stop seeking what they THINK are the easiest ways so much. Post pandemic, the future will be less buildings and more shared spaces (hoteling) and remote work. I think that's what Troy's doing right now. Working in some creepy ass building with nothing but funny acting White folks who all stop talking and stare at their laptops as soon as HE walks through the door....lol. "Hey there T......" We gotta get that brother a BUILDING with a top floor and penthouse office...lol.

🙄....nice looking, feminine, AND intelligent....coming a dime a dozen????? "Sheeeeeeeyit.... Maybe I'll move to where YOU at!"

Mzuri Who is that cat with the rose in her mouth supposed to represent? You or Cynique....lol

Troy That is probably my problem I think too small. Perhaps you're so focused on day to day operations you don't have time to sit around imagining what "could" be. I have a HUGE (Donald Trump said "Yuge") and very vivid imagination...lol. I have mixed feelings on the Wanda character. I like it for what it is.... Which was a Black comedy show that knew it's Black audience would find humor in such a masculine/muscular man like Jamie...a man who was so obviously NOT feminine....portraying a woman. Perhaps that's the the "humor" in most cross dressing skits. But if it were a White comedy show like SNL or Mad Tv who had a Black man dressing up like a Wanda...I'd take offense to it. Why? Because I wouldn't be sure if it was an attempt at pure comedy or an attempt to humiliate and psychologically castrate Black men. Mzuri I think it's a great idea but I think in order to receive an endowment one would need to be a non-profit, and an actual institution like a university or a foundation. Not a business. Really? I'm not too educated on the matter so perhaps you're right. I know SOME are state owned, but I thought most colleges and universities WERE businesses. They weren't owned by the government. Perhaps they had 501C3 status or something that puts them in a different category all together. At any rate.... When I say "endowment" I'm not talking STICTLY government money. Don't get me wrong: I would like for someone to set up a plan where AALBC would get money from either the Federal, State, or Local government! Ofcourse Troy would have to look into it to make sure there were no strings attached (and there usually are) that would affect how he operates his business. However.......... When I say "endowment", I'm really speaking of Black people and businesses who have benefited from this site. -Those who have had their intellectual property promoted. -Those who have had their poetry given a platform. -Those who have gotten free reviews. -As well as those who haven't, but just want to see more Black success in this society . I think THEY should actually be giving some of THEIR money to maintain and expand this institution! Now ofcourse if you're BROKE and living in your grandma's basement with a stack of comic-books in the corner....you probably don't have the money to give. But those who are successful authors and poets who have benefitted CAN share some of those earnings to help maintain and expand this site and turn it into a major institution. Say you're an author who makes over $100,000 a year.... You mean to tell me you can't VOLUNTARILY send in 2 or 3 grand every year or even every quarter to maintain the largest and oldest Black literary site? But if a bunch of White kids come to you asking you to donate to the "Clean-up-the-Environment Foundation" and promises you a seat and the annual luncheon just to sit around a bunch of White folks and grin at corny jokes...... "Climate Change is worse than slavery! Air Pollution is worse than the holocaust!" ....you're writing ALL TYPES of checks for them. Silly Negroes giving money to rich White folks with nothing better to do than yell and scream nonsense, who don't even need it. "Ooooooo I'm gonna do a GOOD deed! White Jesus will be so proud of me!"

Troy Personally, I’m not so easily swayed by a pretty face or banging body — they are a dime a dozen. But more than that, she has the FEMININITY to go along with it. I don't like her politics or her conniving ways but she carries herself like a LADY. She's not loud or vulgar. Very feminine and lady like....that's what attracts me. Fuck her politics. A woman's politics is among the least things I look for if I'm looking for a mate or even a sexual partner. As far as the Guardian........ Trying to sow discord between the U.S. and Australia is like trying to sow discord between the baby finger and middle finger...lol. These racists governments are united. Any so-called "rift" between them is merely PRETEND disagreements to give you the illusion that they are separate.

Mzuri I have heard women say they knew that they had conceived at the time or right after coitus. I guess they had women’s intuition or they were doing some entrapment trickery where they were trying to get knocked up on purpose. Perhaps.... But you know a lot of people are "after-the-fact prophets". They saw all kinds of signs and premonitions AFTER it happened and they're talking about it afterwards. But before whatever happened....happened....they were carrying on as normal. Kind of like these people who claimed they had premonitions about 9/11. Same with a lot of these cases. It was only AFTER they went to the doctor and were declared pregnant that they "knew" they had conceived the moment it happened. I'd like to see evidence of them saying it right then and there and weeks or months LATER having their statement confirmed. I'm not saying it's impossible....because nothing is impossible. However you have so many dreamers out there. When I have an intuition or premonition I like to not only document it but tell it to a few other people as WITNESSES.....so when it comes true they can bear me witness. Del Yes that's true. A few women have told me they could feel their ovum. I'm sure women have told you a LOT of things....when you dress up and impersonate a gynecologist, lol. "Yeah, from the looks of things... This ain't your FIRST baby. Is it?......sweet thang."

When I heard "Our Kind Of People" I thought of the late author Lawrence Otis Graham who did a book on the Black Upper class and it's various sectors: I don't know too many "Upper class" Black people...not personally. I know a few who I've worked with politically and socially but not in intimate settings like dating, going to country clubs, and social functions.

What I don't like about these crime and law shows is that not only are they carefully scripted and used as propaganda......but they never show any crooked cops and never show cops setting up suspects. They leave THOSE part out.

ProfD I guess the question becomes what are we drinking and pouring out for Gen Powell since his thread has become a watering hole Hmmm.....🤔.....I'm not sure. Seeing as how he was not just a military man but a General.... How about some STEEL RESERVE???

I'm not letting THIS one go so easy. AALBC is an INSTITUTION in the Black community now. 🧑‍🎓 And those who have benefited from that institution have a responsibility to help maintain and EXPAND it. This is actually bigger than Troy Johnson....in my opinion. Just like Fisk, Morehouse, and Howard are bigger than those who founded them. These fine institutions grew to be bigger than the mere business of the indidivuals who founded them, but have become a cornerstone of Black American Academic culture. Speaking of Howard..... I was reading about how the students at Howard are protesting the shitty living conditions in their on-campus dorms. Seems to me that many of these HBCUs are relying entirely too much on tuition and government funding for their mantenance and not enough of the Alumni are giving money back like Mr and Mrs Cosby have done. AfroAmericans have a RESPONSIBILITY to support our own! If we don't....who will? This is AfroAmerican History. AfroAmerican Legacy

Cynique and you meet this cool guy whose erection builds you up and a week later you are pregnant and, over the objections of your lover, you have the baby, beware! Do women typically find out they are pregnant a WEEK after having sex? First time I heard that one. ProfD Hunt thirsty well beyond menopause cougars. Buy a pair of rose colored glasses to make them look vivacious and a tub of K-Y Jelly to make them more pliable. Or let them hunt you...lol I've always liked older women. Even when I was in my teens I was trying to get with women in their 30s and peeping out a few in their 40s. But didn't realize how much some older women actually liked younger dudes until I went to Europe and had so many older women approach me. I was in my 20s and had women in their 60s (but didn't look it) coming on strong to me. I'm sure the fact that I'm Black helped a lot with that though (smile)

🙄 ....I know she saw it.

Yeah, there is a big difference between WEALTH and RICHES. Riches are strictly financial. Wealth involves POWER and INFLUENCE to go along with the money. Chris Rock said: "Michael Jordan is rich. The White man who signs his paycheck is wealthy!" There are a lot of RICH Black folks, but not too many are WEALTHY. If you're just rich....you got a lot of money in the bank. But if you have your own lawyer, own several businesses, and know the mayor and a few judges on a first name basis and routinely have lunch with them....now you're WEALTHY.

Oh no...more brainwashing and promoting the agenda. But at some point I'm going to have to look at the Negroes who are willing to do this for a pay check. Most of them claim to be Christian and the Bible THEY believe in clearly condemns not only homosexuality but I believe it also condemns men dressing up like women. I know it condemns feminine acting men. So Black people are going to have to decide where do they get their morality from..........the religions they preach, or Caucasians.

That girl gets nuttier and nuttier by the year. But she's still so fine and sexy....lol. I don't like her politics, but she's pretty and FEMININE. So lady like. It compels me to find her attractive. I know quite a bit of dudes who can't get past her politics though.

I wasn't too crazy about beer. When I do drink....it's usually wine or white liquor mixed with juice. I'm a SUPERTASTER so I can taste the alcohol in almost all alcoholic drinks no matter the content. When I DID drink brew it was usually Colt - 45 and Crazy Horse. I was trying to be like Billy D...lol

Mzuri Yes, I know, it is hard to believe that I was once a party animal. I won't be divulging anything else from my youth in order to preserve my (perceived) reputation. And here I was picturing a GEISHA GIRL on the other end of the computer... and here you come talking about guzzling down bottles of 40 ounces like Ice Cube, lol. "To the home girls who didn't make it......." You are correct about one thing - we are always going to be paying those annoying taxes, but most of those are going towards fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement so there probably won't be enough to cover the cost of Universal Healthcare anyway. But it could happen. The federal government can LITERALLY MAKE as much money as they need. They can print up TRILLIONS of dollars out of thin air; which they are currently doing right now. Problem is they aren't using it to pay for people's healthcare as much as they're printing it up to spend on the military and bribing foreign nations. Where is she anyway, she hasn't been here since YOU made her mad. I didn't MAKE her mad. She was already mad when I came across her....lol