Pioneer1

Troy You simply cannot look at someone and tell they are Hispanic — any more than you could tell where they were born. I agree. Now tell that to the average police officer who will uses that as a racial description. This is nonsensical. Race is not based on science! It's just as scientifically based as sex, however you don't want to accept it regardless as to the amount of evidence and even proof provided for you. But I do think in the final analysis we’d be better off not keeping track of this so-called race… As long as racism exists...we should. How else can you track racism and racial discrimination? If you can give me a counter argument, on why you think we need to keep track of people’s skin color and how that has served us, I’m all eyes. ((Pioneer1 raises his hand)) Oooooh....oooooh....I CAN!! Let ME answer it!!! .....lol. Suppose we go with your argument that race doesn't exist. If race doesn't exist...then that would mean RACISM doesn't exist either. So if YOU'RE classified as "Black" and are mistreated and denied employment by someone classified as "White", BECAUSE of your skin color....you wouldn't have any grounds to claim racism or racial discrimination because according to YOU it doesn't exist. In places like Cuba and a lot of other Socialist/Communist Latin American nations...racism is rampant but not documented. Why? Because in Socialist/Communist ideology...racial distinctions don't exist, therefor RACISM doesn't exist. So a lot of Black and Brown people are STILL discriminated against but suffer in silence because they don't know how to articulate what they're going through since there's no category for it. No matter what YOU choose to believe...White folks KNOW who they are and KNOW you aren't one of them. They will CONTINUE to mistreat you because of your "race" "skin tone" or whatever you choose to call it whether YOU understand or acknowledge that's the reason they're doing it or not. So if you don't want to accept that racial differences exist....that's STILL not going to stop White folks from being racist and practicing racism. All that will do is just cause more confusion among people of color who will wander around looking stupid and clueless as to why they are in the conditions they are in without the slightest clue that racism may be the reason. ...because racism doesn't exist. ...because race doesn't exist. So it must be because they have bad breath that they are being targeted by the police, over incarcerated, denied jobs, and segregated to certain barrios. richardmurray yes your point is clear now Is that a good or bad thing????

ProfD Regardless of race, human greed and indifference makes poverty even worse. As I've mentioned before, Scandinavian countries have a welfare system that provides a standard minimum income, free education, free childcare and universal healthcare to its citizens. Well, if you remember ME mentioning before also....lol...Scandinavian countries are PROTECTED by the United States from any outside aggression. Unlike most other nations, they don't have to spend large sums of their money on the military or weapons for protection so they can AFFORD to focus on things like the general welfare of it's citizens, Universal Healthcare, and education. Also..... Sweden, Norway, and the others Scandanavian nations are pretty much homogeneous....overwhelmingly White....so the citizens and governments don't mind spending massive amounts of money to help their own kind and people who look like them. As more and more immigrants from Africa and Asia start pouring in though....especially from places like Somalia and Syria...watch those generous government programs all of a sudden start drying up and lose funding! Just like America provided generous welfare and housing when the vast majority of the recipients were White....but the Blacker and Browner the recipients got the more the funding for schools and other government institutions and programs began to disappear. Plenty of money for Ukraine.....but all of a sudden this year Social Security is insolvent and might have to be shut down. -Da Fuck???? IMO, human greed across the board is to blame for all bad conditions and ills in a society. You consistently mention human greed as the culprit across the board. I'm a little curious..... Where does LOW INTELLIGENCE.....simply not being able to think straight or well enough to either solve your problems or prevent yourself from being taken advantage of....fit on that Board of Blame?

ProfD I'd like to how Black folks would benefit from a diverse group doing racial classification here in America. I doubt that it would result in reparations for FBA/ADOS Well.... Speaking OF Reparations for FBA/ADOS- When those Reparations checks are actually doled out, ideally this diverse group has already identified who ARE the FBA/ADOS vs who are the tethers and "yo yo bro's" with blonde dreadlocks claiming Blackness to collect a check. I keep stressing "diverse" because obviously an all White or any panel without a significant FBA presence would be suspect and couldn't be expected to have our best interests in mind. However I believe the FBA's on the panel would come through. Especially a lot of the younger straight brothers who have seen and felt the sting of anti-FBA treatment from a lot of these other groups so if they jump up claiming to be something that they're not....they'll shut that shit down real quick. Punks jump up to be SHUT down...lol. But it starts from the top. A national board or panel with a significant FBA presence establishing clear rules and boundaries as to who can be considered Black, who can be considered FBA, etc...for LEGAL purposes like when it comes to getting checks, grants, and getting certain positions that call for a person of a certain race or ethnicity. And again, individuals can identify however they like on their own. But your ass ain't gonna be sitting up their looking like Elon Musk demanding a Reparations check because you're an "African" American.

ProfD I think you hit the nail on the head when you placed the blame and responsibility on those African governments who allow the poverty in their nations to spiral so far out of control that it creates that type of atmosphere. If they'd actually look out for their people instead of trying to greedy up everything for themselves...and their mistresses....people wouldn't feel the need to prey on and take advantage of eachother like that. I remember an article from back in the 80s when the chief of the Detroit Police Department (Hart) was quoted as saying that the city is one big ghetto from one end to the other or something along that line. Here you got the chief....a Black man...allegedly calling the city he's charged with protecting...a ghetto. With that mentality, how serious do you think he was about actually solving and lowering the crime in a place he already has a low opinion of? Many Black and African leaders have such a low and poor opinion of their own people anyway that they could care less about their well being. They're in that position for themselves and their immediate family and friends to steal as much wealth as they can before they're replaced or driven out in scandal.

And even if the mean well....just their PRESENCE ALONE is a distraction. I'm not sure if anything has changed but back in the day the Nation of Islam didn't allow White people in their meetings. And I often wondered why because it wasn't like they were saying things so secretive and top secret that if a White person heard it it would ruin things. Most of what they said in the temples could be read online on various websites today. However it was explained that many of our people have been so conditioned to worship White folks, look to them, and seek their approval that just them BEING in the audience will be a distraction for a lot of our people. The speaker can say something that's true and that you agree with...but you'll subconsciously and in some cases consciously glance over at the White person in the audience to see THEIR facial expression and see if THEY approve of it or not before you express your approval. Many of our people won't even laugh unless they see a White man laugh first to know it's "ok" to do so. I've seen this so many times it's not even funny. Infact, when I was younger I used to PURPOSELY contradict a popular White opinion or position in a group just to show them that I wasn't going to follow their lead. I've learned better now and go with what I think is best, but back in the day...I had a POINT to prove, lol. Many of our people are conditioned to seek White folks approval and validation to the point that any organization that includes them will be influenced by them anyway whether or not they desire to do so intentionally.

Sounds a little "ritualistic". Like they were targeted and it was well planned and designed to make the news the way it did. They WANTED people to know about it. I believe that every so often, White racists....with the cooperation of some of those in local law enforcement...will commit almost OBVIOUS racially based crimes like this to "test the waters" of the Black community and see how agitated and activated the Black community not only locally but nationally will get over it. Kind of like that little stunt they pulled over in Cincinatti not too long ago where they marched through a Black neighborhood trying to imitate people. If too many Black folks raise too much hell....they back down and get a little quiet. But if Black folks ignore it and focus on TikTok battles and shit while smoking that fake weed...then they know it's time to step it up a notch or two.

When I suggest having an authorized body make the decision of who fits into which racial category for statistic and census purposes; some of you may be picturing a panel full of white folks looking like Karen and Brad sitting up there making the decisions for everybody else should be categorized as. No. That is NOT what I'm suggesting or picturing at all. I'm suggesting that a truly diversified and educated board of Americans of ALL racial and ethnic communities making common sense and scientifically based decisions as to how people should be classified and that will be used as a template for training others on how people should be racially and ethnically categorized for SPECIFIC PURPOSES like census, statistics, etc... It wouldn't be ONE person doing the classification but a DIVERSE PANEL of well trained people who all agree on that person's classification for that particular event. However despite this....each individual will still maintain the freedom to identify themselves as whatever they like. But I think this is necessary because there are certain funds and benefits (or atleast there used to be before Trump) that go to communities, colleges, hospitals, and other institutions based on how many Black or Latino or others of a particular group are there. If too many actual Black folks start calling themselves "White" or "Mixed"...that could fuck up the program. So we can't have somebody like Candace Owens....who for the most part is Black/AfroAmerican...being allowed to call herself "White" on the census form because she chooses to identify as such based on her conservative ideology or some White grand parent. ....her ignorance could cost us money. Or have Ethiopians and Eritrieans in the community running around calling themselves White too simply because they have thin noses and wavy hair. ....their ignorance could cost us money and funds. No. We should have an established and set standard that a diverse panel of experts agree on that everyone must adhere to. umbrarchist They will be burned at the stake. I say "swap them out" for those who are actually using "Gulf of America" in serious discussions now....lol.

richardmurray I gave that illustration not to suggest that we should ADAPT the racial classifications of U.S. law enforcement. I was simply using it as an example of how "on code" and unified the nation and most of it's institutions already are when it comes to racial identification and how suggesting...or perhaps insisting in some cases...that everyone adhere to the same standard for certain purposes (such as statistics and census) isn't such a far fetched idea. About 80% of Americans agree on most of the TERMS we use for race anyway, even if most don't agree on who QUALIFIES to fit into those terms. In other words.... Not that these terms are accurate...but if you talk to the average American, they'll use terms like Black, White, Asian, Latino, even "Mixed" to describe the race of somebody. Most people don't use terms like "African American" or "Caucasian" or "Mongoloid" in casual speech. The vast majority of people in our nation/society use the same racial terms. The only major variance is when it comes to describing people as Native American or Indian. It's pretty much even as to which term people prefer to use. Again, not that these terms are accurate....but it illustrates that most people are already onboard with clear and established racial categories. So the only question is WHO has the authority to decide who fits into which category? Trump and his fellow conservatives are already assuming authority over the sex/gender categories by declaring there are only 2 sexes/genders and forcing everyone to identify as one or the other. So in that regard.... Your fellow Americans who are in love with being able to pick and choose who and what they are and who they identify as are getting that privilege snatched away from them anyway.

ProfD Not having been there let alone having closely examined the politics of various African nations...it's hard to really assess exactly what the issue is. However it appears that atleast ONE of them is brain-drain. Many Africans will leave their countries and not even RETURN to their nation....let alone invest money and time back into it. And don't even talk about using some of their money to build actual schools, hospitals, and factories for their people so they don't have to jump on rafts and cross dangerous waters just to live the type of life they want. In Michigan alone.... You have enough well educated Africans from different countries who are doctors, surgeons, engineers, computer programmers, lawyers, judges, scholars....you name it. Who if they actually decided to work together could increase the wealth and prosperity of the entire continent of Africa 10 fold! Another issue I hadn't thought about much until a brother from Zimbabwe mentioned it to me at work not too long ago was the "going back to the hood" syndrome. A lot of the times when successful Africans go back to their old communities they get hit on by people and even by the government to give money, do favors for people, help people out. The people crowd them so much. And on top of that, you have jealous dusty niggaz scheming to set them up or kidnap them for money. Reminds me of what Ice Cube said in Amerikkka's Most Wanted: "All the old school pals and fellas are crooks. So I get jealous looks. They keep askin' did my head grow. Will the boys in the 'hood have to beat down Ice Cube? Hell no (something something...lol) so you see it's OK I keep my .9mm anyway. Just incase, one of the homies wanna squab. I'm still rollin' with the lench mob" When you become wealthy and successful, a lot of the times the people you grew up with and around get jealous and don't LET you come back and be at peace and do nice things for the community. You're focused on using your wealth to improve the community and uplift the joint, and they're looking at you hating and being jealous and scheming on ways to take that wealth from you if they get a chance. You don't wanna kill 'em. So you just...as hard as it is..just stay away and keep on doing you That would apply to any poor environment you were fortunate enough to rise up from.

ProfD It seems that the Democratic "big tent" is a little too damn big. They need to tighten it up a bit and establish a core of key issues to focus on. The Liberals who care about social issues and Black folks are considered far-Left. ...and on top of that, you really can't trust them anyway. The Black politicians....if they don't sell you out...maybe. But the White ones... When it comes to White politicians involving themselves in the Black community and in Black organizations, I'm sure there are some who are sincere...but many of them act as DOUBLE AGENTS. They PRETEND that they care but are really there just to monitor things and find out who the "trouble makers" are to report back to the racists on the other side. This is one of the reasons the labor unions aren't as effective today as they used to be. Many of the Whites in those unions can't be counted on to side with their fellow Black members during disputes and will actually empathize more with White folks in management.

Troy & richardmurray When the police want to identify a subject, there is NO confusion among them about how to describe/identify them even when it comes to race. " I got a male...white...about 25 to 30 years of age in a blue t-shirt and jeans running through the parking lot with a gun" "I'm pulling over a female...black..." "We're gonna be looking for a male...hispanic...about 5'3...." There is NO confusion among them. Across the nation from Maine to California they all will use the same gender and racial descriptions and won't give a damn what the suspect "identifies" as. Whether or not people agree on race, ethnicity, sex, and gender...clearly most government agencies have already made up their minds as to the categories most people fit in.

I used to think that China was trying to colonize Africa. That in and of itself is sinister enough. But now suspect something far more sinister than that. I suspect that the West is trying to re-colonize Africa THROUGH China. China takes control of an African community, funnels the resources back to China...where the West owns and operates most of the firms that USE those resources to make their goods. They don't even want Black workers anymore. They'd rather have Chinese workers who they feel are more docile and efficient. The plan is to let the Chinese and Arabs go into Africa to get the resources and bring them back to "zaddy".

ProfD A lot of Democrats are so-called "Liberal". Not all, but most. A so-called Liberal who is concerned with the environment will by a Tesla because it's electric and will emit less fumes that wreak havoc on the environment. I say "so-called" Liberal because when I was a kid, and especially back in the 50s and 60s, the word "Liberal" meant a White person who was pro Black and pro women's rights. Since the 90s the shit has evovled....or DEvolved...into some weird ass political belief that includes protecting and promoting homosexuals and trans, environmental activism, and protecting illegal immigrants. The LAST thing on a so-called White "Liberal's" agenda today is looking out for Black folks.

richardmurray The original Arabs actually WERE White....or rather Caucasian more accurately. They became mixed up through their migrating and mixing in with the various Black populations of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa. Sometimes I think there should be properly educated and TRAINED experts working for the government who can identify the race of individuals for statistic and census purposes instead of allowing people to do it themselves. When it comes to race and racial identify, most people seem to be confused anyway.

ProfD The only reason they would consider burning Teslas an act of domestic terrorism is because of who owns it. His money is having a major influence on American politics. Exactly. That's what makes it DT. If it was a bunch of kids running around randomly setting cars on fire, then it would be little more than vandalism. My understanding is that there wasn't just one incident but MULTIPLE incidents of Telsa cars being set on fire in the U.S. and in Canada. It's clearly politically motivated.

richardmurray Namaste back to you! That's northern Indian, but would you like me to give you a south Indian (Dravidian) greeting? Vanakum I don't know if I'd consider Wayne County a "white" county. Not only is it half Black. But it also has a very large non-White Latino population and a large Arab population. Don't forget that Dearborn is in Wayne County. Although Arabs are often counted as White, many of them are mixed and actually African/Black. Especially the ones from Yemen who live in a section of Detroit called Hamtramck.

ProfD I was actually going to mention something about that George Foreman grill but forgot to do so....lol.

Heavyweight boxing champ and businessman George Foreman has passed away yesterday March 21st. I'm more proud of him eventually becoming a successful businessman than a successful boxer. May our good and beloved brother rest in peace and power.

Troy ...not strong enough for somebody who wasn't afraid to die. He said if he was IN the house it wouldn't have mattered. Him and his boys and a few of their girls were joking about it and we all went out to a club later on that night and it wasn't even mentioned. Even at 14, that attitude right there told me that that lifestyle wasn't for me. Ahhh man, they went back and forth back and forth for months. I can tell you stories about this one cousin ALONE and the shit he used to get into with his rivals on that block....lol. Anyway..... I didn't tell that story to insinuate that drug dealers should be considered domestic t--. I told it to illustrate how powerful acts of violence could be on influencing and striking fear in people even if no one is actually harmed. Setting cars on fire may SEEM trivial and petty as you sit in your room or den thinking about it. But if you actually walk or drive down the street and witness a group of angry young men shouting something as they torch a car...then another....THAT would certainly strike ter---r in the hearts of a lot of people. * While ProfD avoids cussing for the algorithm, me on the other hand....I try to avoid using the actual "t" word for algorithmic purposes, lol

.....that, and formulating polls that come with 2 page follow-up commentaries, lol. Man, I love it!

ProfD Right. Burning up Teslas won't strike fear in American citizens. The population won't believe they're under attack. Tell that to the people working at or near the dealership where they are being torched. Or better yet, those living near by. You see a row of cars on fire...you don't know WHAT'S going on or what to believe. It certainly will alarm if not scare the average citizen because that's not something you're used to seeing. It will be interesting to see how charges are filed against the perpetrators. Let's see if they are charged as domestic terrorists or get the January 6th treatment. Come on man....lol....you know better than that. But if there's something I can say about Trump, he certainly looks out for his own. I didn't think those Jan-6 rioters would be set free and pardoned so blatantly, but he came in and did it like he said he would. Troy What you just described is more of an EXTREME form of it. But I don't think it necessarily has to consist of actually physically harming people. Any act of violence that could LEAD to the harming of people for political or religious purposes would probably suffice. When I was 14 I CONSIDERED getting into the street life. After a few days of chilling with one of my cousins who was a straight up dope slanger, something happened that made me seriously reconsider THAT avenue and focus on the right path...lol. Apparently he was beefing with some other rival dope pushers and when we left his house, they shot up the house with an AK-47 as a "warning" to him. -I'm talking about bullet holes big enough to put your fist through. -I'm talking bullets so strong that they went THROUGH the entire house...including several rooms. -Do you understand me....lol??? -I'm talking about standing in the FRONT of the house...looking through one of them holes...and seeing the back alley...lol. I later found out that they knew everybody in the house had left and didn't want to kill anybody...yet...but just send a warning. After that day, I didn't even go back to that house again; (Which actually had several more incidents of violence later before it got shut down) and although nobody was harmed...that incident right there was enough to instill enough fear in me and influence my decision about whether or not I wanted to join the streets. It was effective, even if that wasn't the intention of the perpetrators.

ProfD "tribes"???? I see all of those richardmurray posts are having an impact....lol.

There's a difference between SEGREGATION and SEPARATION. Segregation is when a dominant power forces you to live separately from them and THEY maintain the power and control over both their society and yours. Separation....on the other hand...is when YOU control your own community and resources while other groups control theirs. One of the beautiful things about America is that there isn't just ONE set standard or culture enforced by the government forcing everyone to act and think the same and engage in the same rituals and behavior. We still have the liberty to stray off from the dominant society and do our own thing and find out what works FOR US. I think for AfroAmericans a certain amount of SEPARATION from the White community and other non-FBA communities for that matter is not only healthy for us but will lead to much greater prosperity for OUR community in the future. That Separation doesn't necessarily mean chopping up the country and living in separate states; but it does mean: -building and securing our own SEPARATE neighborhoods -building our own SEPARATE hospitals with our own doctors and nurses and developing our own medicines and medical practices -building our own SEPARATE schools with our own teachers and education curriculum Understand....... When I say Separate, that doesn't mean we ban others from living in OUR neighborhoods, going to OUR schools, or OUR hospitals. But it does mean that WE own and control these institutions, so when people do come around...they must play by OUR rules or leave.

umbrarchist Before COVID I was at a high school installing Wi-Fi. I said to a teacher there, "White men confuse their egos with their intellects." She said, "THAT'S RIGHT!" ??? What race was the teacher? Also, can you go into a little more detail about what you meant by that? Like, what was the context for that exchange between you two?

Actually....... Although I'm not the biggest fan of either Trump or Musk, burning vehicles probably DOES fall into that category. "T" is political/religious motivated violence designed to instill fear in or influence your adversary. Whether it's harming people. Burning churches. Burning crosses. ......or even burning cars.