Pioneer1

Lol...... It's meant to be a spiral or symbol of nature. I'm not sure which quote you're talking about.... My signature? Or the italicized quote in my post?

Didn't George Washington fight a WAR to rid this land of the concepts of "royalty" and "royal families"? I wonder how he'd feel about the way the U.S. media celebrated this event if he were alive today.....lol. It's not the race of the bride or the love they may have for eachother that bothers me, but the REACTION of other AfroAmericans to this wedding; and for two reasons: 1. Many AfroAmericans....though not most thankfully.....see her as Black. 2. And many AfroAmerican women see this "Black woman" marrying a White prince as some sort of "step up" in the world. These views aren't very widespread in the Black community as a whole but in many media and social media circles those views are being promoted.

There's a reason why they separate men from women in sports and don't allow them to compete together.....despite many who called for matches between Serena Williams and male tennis players, lol. Sports isn't just about competitions.....it's also ENTERTAINMENT. Many people find sports entertaining because of the UNCERTAINTY over which athelete will prevail and others like it because of the SEX APPEAL of the atheletes performing. And this "woman" takes both of those factors away when she competes. 1. Because of her high levels of testosterone giving her a strength advantage....she's pretty much CERTAIN to win any competition with other women she engages in. Would anyone pay to watch Mike Tyson fight women in the ring? 2. Because she looks so masculine, most men will not find her sexually appealing and will lose any interest in the games. Audience viewership will decline. There's raw competition, and there's also an inate sense of fairness that discourages men from comparing themselves to women and vice versa

If Black Enterprise IS kissing up to Google.....I can't blame them for it. It's a power move. Having Google as an ally is arguably far more important that having Facebook or Amazon as one.....because Google reaches far more people. Google also has deeper ties to various governments around the world, so a fall out with them would also bring BE unwanted political liabilities.

Troy I personally am not much of a football fan so I have no problem boycotting the NFL or their sponsors, but most of the AfroAmerican men I know ARE and this would be asking too much of a sacrifice from them....given their current collective state of maturity. I understand why AfroAmerican authors would resist boycotting Amazon even if it's in their long term best interests; for the same reasons many if not most workers tend to initially resist the push for unionization.......they don't want to jeopardize their livelihood. Like you said, most of our people are not yet willing to make the sacrifices or delay their gratifications for a larger goal. Another factor is IRRESPONSIBILITY....... See, if you boycott NFL or Amazon you either have to DO WITHOUT or BUILD YOUR OWN institutions to take their place. It's relatively easy to promote one's books on Amazon, like it's relatively easy to show up to NFL camps...practice....perform....and get that check. The mentality of too many of our people is: "Let White men in suits and ties take care of all the formalities, organizing, promoting, and paper work.....while I put in a few hours of work, collect that check, and spend the rest of my time SPENDING it and having fun! "

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — South Africa's Caster Semenya set a meet record in the 800 meters at the Prefontaine Classic on Saturday while controversy swirls about a rule that could limit her from competing at the distance. Semenya defended her title in the event in 1 minute, 55.92 seconds, which is also the top mark in the world this year. American Ajee Wilson was second in 1:56.86. Semenya is the two-time Olympic and three-time world champion in the 800. But she could be impacted in the future by a new rule that has drawn criticism. The IAAF, track and field's international governing body, announced last month that starting on Nov. 1 it will limit entry for all international events from 400 meters through the mile to women with testosterone levels below a specified level. The IAAF maintains that women with unusually high testosterone levels have a competitive advantage over other women. http://www.tampabay.com/semenya-wins-prefontaine--in-worlds-best-time-this-year-ap_sports0bfbb220aaa640c086ce98e1bb33ee4e

We must also understand that most of these players are playing under CONTRACTS with all types of clauses and stipulations in it that gives the owners and agents the ability to strip money from them left and right in the form of fines, penalties, law suits, ect..... Out of a $10 million contract, after taxes and fines and paying off agents and lawyers they may only see about $2 million of it. Colin wouldn't be unemployed right now IF AfroAmerican men had been intelligent enough to have seen this coming and started THEIR OWN major football league 30 or 40 years ago atleast as an option not ot be beholden to the wealthy White conservatives who own the NFL I think Ice Cube was trying to start some sort of basketball league of his own. Atleast that's a start.

My question is why do people read posts and create accounts but never post. Pesonally, it's hard for me to be a "lurker" who just reads and keeps up with everyone else's opinion without jumping in and offering my own. But as for those who actually go as far as creating accounts and never posting........ I believe that most Black sites are being monitored. Monitored by who? Monitored by the "usual suspects". And creating an account just allows them more access to personal information about the members. Which is yet another reason I don't post my picture.....lol.

Troy But to use your line of reasoning; the reason I disagree with your assertion that men only view women as potential sex partners is because I'm a man and I don't view women that way. Lol.... You're not using my line of reasoning, because my reasoning involves ACCURACY. I never said that men only view women as potential sex partners. Infact, for older men I said quite the opposite. I'm not amazed that you disagree with my position. I'm just amazed at how ZEALOUS you seem in opposing it and how you've seemingly held it against me either openly or subtly in almost every discussion since the disagreement developed. It's frightening that you would disregard YOUR OWN experiences in life simply to align your beliefs with that of the mainstream scientific community. You simply refuse to even entertain the idea that atleast some of what may be called "science" may actually be a collection of propaganda and opinions based.....not on what is actually true....but based on the agenda of whatever wealthy special interest group funded the research. Remember, during it's later years slavery was also justified by "science" for obvious reasons.

I hate it when people start provocative discussions and then just DISAPPEAR out of thin air.....lol. You get all fixed up to have a decent dialog and it ends after 2 posts.

I don't think they should have been kneeling in the first place. For what? For one thing, KNEELING while that national anthem is being played actually shows MORE respect for it than standing. If they wanted to make a stronger more direct statment they would have sat down or turned their backs....not kneel in reverence. But even more importantly, these young men fail to realize how USELESS taking a knee during the anthem actually IS in the fight against racism and police brutality. One has nothing to do with the other and kneeling will pretty much have no impact on the behavior of racist police officers. This is one of the reasons I got so worked up over that Childish Gambino video. It seems that too many AfroAmerican youth are confused not only over what their REAL problems are but also over how to actually solve them...and videos like that further confuses them. They think they can sing and dance and "kneel" their way to a solution. Others think that if they can march and block freeways and make enough noise and grab the attention of the public then THAT will solve their problems. Wrong and wrong.

Troy For example, my belief in a single human race is derived completely from information outside my own experience. If I used my own experience, like Pioneer and perhaps yourself, I would still believe in multiple races. ((sigh)) Well....... Thanks for confirming what I already suspected for months now. As long as I disagree with you over YOUR concept and definition of race....that disagreement will "taint" almost every interaction you have with me despite the subject. I didn't want to believe this was true, I really didn't. But it's becoming more and more clear with every discussion. Even when I've purposely tried to avoid discussing the issue with you to prevent further disagreement.....it's still on your mind. Del I don't think you should waste your time trying to explain to Troy something he already knows. He understands clearly what I said and probably agrees with it to a certain extent. He's just being contrary because of our differing stances on a totally seperate issue......the race issue. ....which is a bit disappointing.

Well....... Judging by the comments of most people in this thread and even most Black people I know, it appears that I'm one of the few who actually has a problem with this video. Despite my genuinely strong reaction to it......most Black people either see it as a work of genius or are pretty much indifferent to it and don't care one way or the other. Who says there's no "Black unity".....lol

Troy I guess you're right. Perhaps most men don't want sex from the women they meet and I was just projecting.

I think for SOME Black men in America the future looks optimistic....and for others more pessimistic. Some of what happens to us may happen as a group but unlike many cultures in the East where most people have a collective mentality and the group tends to rise and fall together, in the United States emphasis is placed so much on INDIVIDUALISM that even if you belong to an oppressed group you as an individual still can often have opportunities to prosper. There will ALWAYS be atleast some AfroAmericans who find a way to make money and live nicely. Even during slavery you had some doing well. And I'm not talking about those who sold out or collaborated with slave masters, but those who just found a nice little "niche" and focused on it until they became successful. Look at Madame CJ Walker....a BLACK WOMAN who managed to get rich and do well for herself at a time when not only Black folks were oppressed but women of all races were too. You're right about the need for Black men to change their mentality and how they view themselves as a necessary part for improvement. A good example of this can be seen when comparing AfroAmericans with AFRICANS from places like Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana. Africans tend to do better in school, earn higher incomes, and have far less social and family problems than AfroAmericans despite the fact that they are not only Black but most of the time tend to be BLACKER than most AfroAmericans! So obviously much of what's happening with us isn't do to racism only but also involves our line of thinking. It's really a balance....... AfroAmericans as a group must unite and change our way of thinking in order to prosper as a people.....both male AND female; but as an individual you should maintain a strong relationship with The Supreme Being and adhere to certain life principles in order to foster your own success. 　 Am I the only person who thinks the person pictured on the book cover looks a bit like a woman?

So you're saying older men still wanting sex from women is simply a projection of MY values and beliefs? I guess all those older men who go to bars and clubs and dating sites looking for women weren't actually interested in sex, but are just looking for drinking buddies with high pitched voices.....lol. I wonder what Donald Trump's REAL intentions were for all of those women he's been chasing around.....lol.

The advice you give is sound and good to teach our youth; but it also sounds like you're trying to teach us how to live in a police state. Racism is a huge problem..... But I believe one of the major reasons there are so many police shootings today of all races is the sheer number of people with serious mental illnesses who are walking the streets today. In the past when a person was violent, hallucinating, or suicidal....they would institutionalize them. Now they give them a bottle of pills and let them roam the streets refusing to provide any meaningful support.....even if they're homeless. So when the police run into people who are violent, insane, or suicidal and LOOK to die anyway.....they don't have time to give them a psychological assessment. They just start using physical and often deadly force to get them under control. Another problem is the SYSTEM itself. 1. There are too many laws and rules for any one person to acknowledge and obey....which often gets people in the type of trouble that only an experienced team of LAWYERS who know the law can get them out of. Meeks Mills gave credit to the fact that he was able to get out of jail because he could afford good lawyers. 2. For poor people of average or below average intelligence, this society is increasingly being seen as too complicated to make a good living and live a comfortable life in doing the "right thing"......so many have elected to do illegal things to survive and THIS also puts them on the wrong side of the law. One solution is to have far less laws for police officers to have a need to enforce and make making a living in this society much easier for the person of average or slightly below average intelligence.

Man......I guess I've learned something else today! The term "picture show" DOES sound archaic. Or more like a Power Points presentation....lol. But the term "motion picture" seems to build a bit of anticipation....like you can't wait to see what it's about!

Troy As far as the so called "race" of the bride, who cares? Why do you care about promoting African American literature more than other types of literature? Perhaps the same answer you give to THAT question......would also apply to YOUR question.

I believe for most men, while their view of sex and it's function doesn't change much.....their views of women in general tend to CHANGE with age and experience. While a 20 year old man may see women and categorize them as either women he WANTS to have sex with or women he DOES NOT want to have sex with....e.i. "sex objects"....and treat them accordingly. That same man at 50 may see women and categorize them as either his daughter, his wife or woman he would enjoy sex with, his sister, or his mother......and treat them accordingly. He still wants sex, but his maturity and the experiences he's had has made sex less of a factor in defining the women he meets.

Lol.....what's the difference between a movie and a film? It's about time Spike rolled out with something for the people! His movies used to be so positive, powerful, and uplifting.....and then after Jungle Fever it seems as if his movies took a turn toward the silly or stereotypical side. Spike is talented, but he's getting up there in age and we need another SERIOUS Black director who knows how to show the AfroAmerican experience with detail and quality!

I'm glad so many Black people are finally agreeing with me that just because you have a Black parent, doesn't necessarily mean you're Black yourself. I DON'T see her as Black but I DO see her as an AfroAmerican. A BI-RACIAL AfroAmerican.....like WEB Dubois, Halle Berry, and President Obama.

however the moors mighta been teaching the same thing about us flying and using the pyramids as a tranportation portals ancient helicopters and shyt Come on bro, you know White people weren't the first to fly! We were flying for THOUSANDS if not MILLIONS of years before White people even existed. Gerard is just parroting the same bullshiit he learned in his physics class....lol. How can they be the first to fly when: 1. You have documented evidence found not only on the pyramids of Kemet of flying vehicles but also from the art work of the ancient Mayans and Incas? 2. White folks are operating on the LIMITED mathematics that WE gave them. Algebra was brought to Europe by the Moors! Infact, Terrence Howard (who's not even a scientist but an actor) came on television the other day talking about a NEW type of mathematics that he either invented or discovered that he presented to Oxford University and they didn't even wanna acknowledge that a Black man knows something they don't! Del Perhaps rapper are proxy killers and promoters of death on behalf of the label or capitalistic structure. Well Minister Farrakhan says that back in the early 80s there was a meeting that record executives had with those looking to invest in private prisons before it became big business. He said that a plan was orchestrated to promote GANGSTA RAP music among the youth the encourage them to become lawless so that they could get arrested and fill up the prisons for those investing in them. Not sure how true this is, but it sounds reasonable in a capitalistic system. Troy Hey Pioneer, if I took off my shirt and wiggled around in a video shooting people would you talk about AALBC on other websites? If you took your shirt off and wiggled around in a video I would DEFINATELY talk about your site to other GAY WHITE MASONS......lol. Might even share it with the GAY-K-K...lol. Mel Exactly, why I chose not to talk about the video! I did watch it once on twitter out of curiosity . I wanted to know what all the fuss was about - Once I saw it, I thought nothing to see here move along. It wasn't sharing anything that I didn't already know. Further, I'm not impressed by Donald Glover's work. @Pioneer1 's discussion of the video allowed me to revisit the role of art - but the video, meh. The problem is....... And the reason this video SHOULDN'T be ignored is...... It could be doing far more harm to Black youth than good. If there's any good that comes from it. If you care about Black youth, you would want to know what type of negative conditioning and programming is being aimed at them to retard their progress.

Delano The problem is potential mental manipulation. With Rob. Kelly it appears to be actualized Mental manipulation......like emotional maturity....is a highly subjective term. First of all, it could be argued that everytime a man tries to convince a woman to have sex with him he's "manipulating" her mind or atleast attempting to. Secondly, IS mental manipulation for sex wrong in and of itself? And if manipulating a woman's mind to have sex is wrong PERIOD, then wouldn't it be just as wrong to do to GROWN WOMEN as to underaged girls? Third, what approaches then SHOULD a man take to get sex from females that would be considered UNIVESALLY APPROPRIATE?

Mel I'm not going to argue with you over the accuracy of those statistics you're quoting. I'll simply say that if dozens and dozens of Black people are STILL being shot and/or killed in places like Chicago every week....then the numbers are STILL too high. When these youth groups start getting the numbers of Black victims BELOW that of Whites and Asians.....I'll be impressed and consider their strategies effective. 　 　 You did it again ! I really don't want to give childish gambino this much credit - but he deserves it. He got you talking about him... and I joined in. I didn't want to talk about his provocative video because I suspected that is exactly what he wanted me (meaning us, the masses) to do just ; but here I am. smh (:-) Well...what? Lol, is it against your religion to talk about Gambino's videos or something? No one is saying we should be OBSESSED with the man's work, but if there's something he's doing worth talking about....why should we "hold back" or arbitrarily REFUSE to give him or his work any attention? Even if that IS what he wants.....why deny the man what he wants simply for the sake of denial? I know some people who won't give a person a well deserved compliment simply because they feel the person is EXPECTING it. "Ahhh, don't say nothing to her....she's just looking for attention that's all". And I'm like....so what? If you put on a lot of perfume TRYING to smell good....and you ACTUALLY DO smell good....I have no problem complimenting you. Now I have to admit that is what art does. It doesn't seek to change minds - but it does force you to open your mind and ponder it. You can only disagree with it once you consider it . We may never know what he wants - but we are talking about it. And unlike a politician who tells us what to think about; we have consider how to think about the spectacle. Well for one thing........ This video in a way actually DOES tell you what to think about and limits your thinking; not because of what's in it....but because of what's NOT in it. I believe I've mentioned before that the video basically shows Gambino...a Black man....commiting all of the murders in the video. But a White man actually committed the church shooting. But he didn't show that.....he showed HIMSELF committing it. So a person not familiar with the facts of the Charleston Chuch Massacre....after watching the misinformation (art?) being portrayed in this video would be inclined to believe that church shootings are a result of some crazy Black man with his shirt off instead of a Confederate Flag waving White guy. Speaking of the Confederacy, it it's true....why the hell is a BLACK MAN dancing around in Confederate soldier pants? Yet another act of confusion as you have a Black man now putting himself in the shoes/pants of Confederates. Infact, this video would induce one to believe that the problem of violence in America is soley the responsibility of crazy acting (dancing and squirming around) Black males. Why? Simply not one act of vioence in this "artful" video was shown being commited by a White person. So besides a Black man squirming around with his shirt off stretching his eyes and acting a fool......the lack of White male violence in this video is another problem I have with it.