Pioneer1

The definition of a "racist" is an imaginary being that does not exist in Mr. Roger's neighbo...Troy's world. Because in his reality everyone is of the same race....neither racism nor racists can exist.

Troy For years many people thought I was Thumper Well I think you might be Cynique, lol. But atleast no one has accused you of being a gay white mason....yet.

Harry, you consider Kamala Harris "Black" ????? To me, this issue is less about what the Governor did decades ago and more about AfroAmerican political power/ So far despite repeated calls from other Democrats of all races as well as the NAACP, he absolutely refuses to resign. I'm wondering if Caucasian politicans begin to openly and unapologetically vocalize racist doctrine, how much power do AfroAmericans really have to remove or even just punish them? As an aside, how does it feel to know your doctor may have put on black-face or a Klansman uniform for fun while going to med-school?

Troy So we can push all this talk about "more knowledgeable" and "smarter" and "better looking" people to the side for now...... But if it exists in a person's reality....according to you it exists; so you now basically AGREE with me and others that there ARE multiple races.

You said perspective is reality. So if multiple races are real in MY reality (as you claim) then multiple races ARE REAL....no?

Troy Man how in the WORLD (this world or any other world....lol) can you sit there and say "full stop" to Cynique's statement that perception is a person's subjective VIEW OF reality.....when all day long you've been preaching that perception IS reality? In the 1st page you said: "You can't tell the difference. Perception is reality. Any changes in one's perception must come from external sources, provided one is open to receiving new information " ttps://aalbc.com/tc/topic/5680-reality-vs-perception/ How do you reconcile these two opposing positions? Either perceptions IS reality or it's a VIEW OF reality, which one will it be? 　 In my reality (one shared with most informed, thinking people) there is only one race. In your version of the world, there are multiple races -- despite the fact that view is not supported by the current science, it is one you've adopted -- it is YOUR reality. Well if multiple races are part of MY reality, then how can you say "no" to my question? Multiple races ARE real according YOUR OWN theory of reality being own's perspective! Cynique To claim or designate reality as yours or his is not to possess it. I agree that claiming reality as "yours" or "his" doesn't mean you posses it, because it's my position that the individual actually doesn't actually possess reality but that it stands independent of them. But "yours" and "his" are indeed possessive words that imply this very idea. It's like saying "your truth" instead of "the truth". Lol, if you asked for the truth and someone gave you "their truth" how much trust would you put in it? 　 If what is claimed or designated as "his" or "yours" is indeed reality, that does't mean that they possess that reality. Their perceptions have simply been verified. To say that their perceptions have been VERIFIED suggests that some perceptions could be inaccurate, not true, not real. Is that correct?

Cynique Perception is an individual's subjective view of reality. Agreed. Which is why I said a few days ago "perception is not the same as reality. It's an INTERPRETATION of reality" Nobody possesses reality. It belongs to itself. A person's perception of reality belongs to him. Again, I agree and I've been saying THIS all through out this thread; however both YOU and TROY have been preaching the opposite! Infact, you just said: "If it's your perception of reality, it is your reality." and "it is not his reality until he realizes he has it." If no one possesses reality, then why are you using possessive pronounce like YOUR and HIS to describe it? It cannot belong to itself AND be "yours" and "his" at the same time. You're contradicting yourself. 　 If this perception coincides with reality, then the perception that is his, becomes reality Well...... As much as you and Troy claim to agree with eachother this statement disagrees with Troy's position....being that perception IS reality (according to his reasoning there is no need to determine "if" perception coincides with reality because both are the same). But I'm not going to drill you on Troy's beliefs; you have enough contradictions of your own and answer for.

Lurkers: I know..... But I'm not expecting concession, or even agreement. At this point, it's just entertainment.....lol. 　 Cynique the tumor is reality, it is not his reality until he realizes he has it. If the tumor is reality, then WHOSE reality is it before he realizes it? Troy See there you go again running to the white man book LOL for validation! Well hell, the White man INVENTED the word "reality" so ofcourse I'll go to his dictionary to find out the definition! Now if we discuss a word YOU or another Black man invented, then we'll go to the Black man's dictionary ....lol. Dude what do you know about what actually exists or real -- other than what someone else has told you? You decide what is real and was is false. We all do it. I tell you the dress is blue and you swear it is gold. OK. Then will you finally agree with me that RACE is real and exists even if it's not a part of your personal reality? Something tells me that you don't take this same attitude about the fluidity of reality when it comes to your personal finances, lol.

Well, let's go to the Oxford Dictionary........... https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/reality

Perhaps you're confusing reality with AWARENESS. Just because something isn't part of a person's awareness, doesn't mean it's not a part of their reality. They just aren't aware of it because they don't perceive it. A person can be sick and not know it.

When you say "that's right".....are you saying that if a person has a tumor but doesn't perceive it then it's NOT part of their reality?

Chev LOL! The BIG WHAT!? Take your pick, lol. Any of a number of big events that they claim will end the world and bring the "rapture" or the return of Jesus.....so they believe. 　 　 It's not that it is so cold in January, but it is about scientist tracking GLOBAL RECORDS. It's about record keeping and seeing real recordable data. Record keeping is how all civilizations are defined as opposed to primitive existence. You don't believe this planet has switched its poles so as to have it be cold in JUne where it may not have been? Do you believe that this planet split? You don't believe that this planet split and caused certain regions that was once in a warmer climate to be in a cold region? If this were to happen in the future, yes, it would be news worthy, but tracking weather patterns also helps scientist to understand our planet and I think this is a good thing, because it helps the governments determine how to help sustain human life based on getting an understanding of certain patterns. These numbers may seem insignificant to me as a common person, but it may be important to scientist who constantly keep track of patterns. I don't have a problem with them keeping records, I have a problem with them sensationalizing everything in order to instill fear in the minds of the masses and manipulate them into falling in line with their agenda of social division and exploitation. For the last 3 days all you've heard in the media is "record breaking this" and "record breaking that"....but when you look at the actual records that they've kept they say that it hasn't been this cold SINCE "18----" or "19----". Which tells me no records are actually being broken and it HAS been colder than this before, but they are sensationalizing THIS cold snap to make it seem as if there's never been anything like it since humanity.

So if a person has a tumor but they don't perceive it......is that tumor not part of their reality?

Troy If that is the case what is stopping you from saying any old crazy thing just to make a point... ah nevermind in your case their nothing stopping you LOL! Regardless as to how crazy it sounds, if it supports my point and you can't dispute it.....then it's valid. Do you disagree with all of the psychiatrist and psychologists who say that mental illness is a DISTORTED perception of reality and now make the claim instead that schizophrenics are not sick but simply live in another world with another reality? We agree that perceptions are different. I'm saying perceptions are reality. What you believe is a objective relativity is just your perception. Again, PERCEPTION is not the same as REALITY. It's an INTERPRETATION of reality based on one's physical senses and intellect....or lack there of. Again, another example............ If I place a rock infront of you while you're walking, that rock IS infront of you whether you SEE it (perceive it) or not. Just because you don't perceive that rock it doesn't mean it's not there nor does it mean you won't stumble over it if you aren't careful. You, me, and the rock are all in the SAME reality despite YOUR perspective or lack there of. They just know our understanding of gravity does not explain it. OK? Different understandings or even LACK OF ANY understanding of gravity doesn't change the laws of gravity or the fact that it exists. It just means that the original understandings may have been wrong. Reality doesn't change UNLESS a new factor is introduced. But a change in PERCEPTION of that same reality would allow you to see it from a different perspective and thus gain knowledge and insight of that which already existed. The bottom line is, perception isn't YOUR reality....it's simply YOUR perception OF reality. Outside of the multiverse theory....reality itself is CENTRAL and various perspectives and perceptions revolve around it.

Troy Lets not convolute things any further with mental illness. Ofcourse not....lol. Why introduce factors that support what I'm saying while disproving your assertions? Because experts have agreed that severe mental illness DISTORTS a person's perceptions to the point that their beliefs about reality are clearly false; if follows that reality CAN NOT simply be basd on each individual's perception of it. If it were, the concept of someone being mental illness wouldn't exist because they would just be in alignment with their own reality. I don't think the multiverse theory can ever be proven. If it is true (and I believe it is), I think it could atleast be proven on an INDIVUAL basis by each individual verifying the existence of other universes for themselves. 　 　 Well that is basically my point man. an individuals perception is "their" relativity. The perception IS their reality. No no no....it's their relativity but NOT "their" reality. That reality is not theirs exclusively but is shared. They....we...are in the SAME reality but with different perceptions of it based on our relativity to it. So you are using gravity to prove an objective reality, when we really don't have a clue what 95% of the observable universe if made of. Unless or until you can PROVE that whatever that 95% consists of actually CHANGES the reality and function of gravity....it's a moot point. You are using too much speculation to defend your position that reality is subjective.

Troy We don't need to go that far back..... I can't speak about New York because it has a different economy and you've always had to be a hustler there, but in Detroit back in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and early 80s MOST AfroAmericans were not only getting married and raising families but also buying houses and new cars by the time they got to their mid-20s. If you find someone who wasn't doing this they were in the minority (less than 20%) and usually they were either mentally disabled from birth or addicted to drugs and alcohol preventing them from holding down a job or using their money wisely but MOST AfroAmericans were independant and living better than today. Infact, on the other end of the specturm about 20% of AfroAmericans did so well they could actually buy property and go into business for themselves! This is what I've witnessed MYSELF in the 70s and 80s...not what I read from some lying economist or history revisionist.

Troy again I say it is relative. If you put the building on the moon the result would be different -- even though the "law" has not changed. I never said it wasn't relative; but relative is just an individuals position with or perception of an established reality. How you RELATE to an object or subject doesn't change the reality of that object or subject. Like you said the law of gravity did not change simply because HE changed environments. It still IS what it is and if he comes back to THIS atmosphere he'll have to face it again. The moon's and Earth's atmospheres are still part of the SAME reality. To the other extreme others have posited an infinite number of universes with different physical constants were the incomprehensible can take place this too is reality, albeit one may may never experience. You said others have POSITED...and that's a key word. This is the multi-verse theory, but has it been proven? We can sit here and entertain theories all day long, but certain laws of THIS reality are constant and they rarely if ever change regardless as to how you relate to them or what your perspective of them are. 　 What is real is what we can perceive -- the example of the mentally disturbed man you provided aside. Are you suggesting that a person who doesn't perceive that they are sick can not have a disease simply because they haven't acknowledged it?

The only thing I thought was really "extraordinary" about what's happening in Chicago was the report that the transit authority is setting the train tracks on fire to make sure the commuter trains run properly. I thought that was interesting, everything else was pretty much business as usual for a typical Great Lakes winter. Like I said, if this starts happening in JUNE then it'll be something to talk about but until then.......... Troy Is the world really so bad off today compared to the past? I think for most younger people it actually IS worse off today than it was 30 or 40 or 50 years ago; there're just more gadgets and gizmos to DISTRACT them from their concerns....which was probably the goal anyway. Your son has autism, you only make $13 an hour, and neither of you have healthcare.....but you have the latest I-Pad!!! WOO HOO!! Most Millenials aren't making enough to take care of themselves as well as their grandparents were, most of them have inadequate health insurance, and they tend to take more mental medication to help them cope with their realities. The only things Millenials have today that is arguably better than their grandparents is more sexual freedom (along with more sexual confusion) . Cynique Your teenie-weenie is tailor-made for whipping out in public My "tail" isn't TAILored, it's all natural....lol. And if something must be "whipped" out it certainly isn't teenie-weenie but most likely long and lanky.

Nah.... "Pee-sicles" sound like something YOU'D be more interested in seeing (and making)....lol.

Troy I remember on 9-11 I was working with a young man who was a very religious Christian and as we were watching the buildings on television he turned to me and said "Jesus is coming back". Those who do marketing research know that a large pecentage of American people are fundamentalist Christian. They believe the world is going to end and Jesus is coming back soon, so every major disaster whether natural or man-made actully ELATES some of them because they see it as bringing the planet one step closer to complete destruction which they feel must happen before "glory" comes. 　 　 why should the folks down here, many of whom have never been north of the mason dixon, care? During the times I lived down South I met a suprisingly large number of adults who had NEVER left the South before! They'll move from Alabama to Texas to South Carolina to Florida all while never considering Pennsylvania, Utah, or Oregon. But a large number never even left their state, nor did they have a desire to. 　 Cynique Even if this wasn't the case, extraordinary weather is "news" so why wouldn't it be covered?? What's so "extraodrinary" about it being cold in January? If you got this weather in JUNE....now THAT would be news worthy!　 　 Many are able to survive adequately without being in a constant state of suspicion and paranoia, ever on the lookout for sinister forces tracking your every move in order to control your mind - something you know about because you are "in the know". Wooooo. Well, everyone SHOULD be "in the know" by now since Mark Zuckerburg told you this is what he's doing! When he sat before congress and testified under oath that social media like Facebook is tracking your every move and monitoring you to build a profile of you he pretty much confirmed suspicions.

Troy I wonder why he grabbed YOUR hand. I'm not sure why but the next time you decide to go gay-bar hopping down in Miami.........you should do a survey asking the men about the social interactions of their early childhood, lol.

Troy Everything is relative, but reality does not and cannot agree with EVERY individual's perception of it. Take the law of gravity for example..... If a man jumps off the Chrysler building it doesn't matter whether or not he perceives it or doubts it's existence. If he doesn't believe in it he is clearly WRONG and the REALITY of gravity will have an effect on him in just a matter of seconds despite his misperception. Del If I were you I wouldn't take Caucasian scientific gibberish too seriously, lol. They put some of this shit out here simply to confound you.

Fear mongering. It also supports the "sign of the times" narrative being promoted by the media for the past 30 years or so. Theu aim this mostly at their Christian fundamentalist audience in the United States who routinely believe that any change in the weather or any other major unusual event signals the end of the world. Ooooooh.....every eclipse, every earthquake, every cold snap is the BIG ONE

Don't get me wrong, MOST of my dealing with Black businesses have been positive also. Infact the VAST majority were. But in a society like the United States where you have so much variety and opportunity, the issue of supporting ANY business is more than whether or not you simply have a positive experience but also COMPARISON to other businesses and COMPETITION comes into play. Most consumers of any race are less concerned about who owns the business and more concerned with how much they will save and the quality of goods or services they will receive. Black businesses can't rely on getting support from the community simply because they exist....they must figure out a way to either have lower prices and/or superior production to the competition. A good example of this are Chinese restaurants. Not only is Chinese food relatively cheap and tasty but Chinese restaurants are found in almost every community in the United States and are open everyday despite holidays, weather, or economic downturns. They are sucessful because they cater to not just Chinese people but to everybody....including in the ghetto....and they make sure they have all you want anytime you want it! You've never seen a Chinese restaurant closed during daylight hours...lol.

Not sure what happened before my generation but even as a child I don't remember little boys ever holding hand with eachother. I remember one time back when I was 7 or 8 I was playing with a group of boys and while we were playing one of the boys grabbed my hand and tried to hold it while we were walking looking for the others. Although there was no anger or disgust at him I had an immediate reaction to jerk my had away because of how akward it felt even at that young age and he just looked at me with a nervous grin and moved on. Later on I notice he would stare at other boys in the eyes an extra few seconds longer than usual while playing with them and a few years later we find out.....you guessed it, LOL.