Pioneer1

Hmmm................ Is it ME, or is this picture of the otherwise attractive Viola Davis on the cover of Time magazine a bit unflattering and even slightly "unnerving"? There are 2 directions we can go with this: 1. The most obvious is that her lips are curled back and it looks like she's showing her fangs. It looks a bit monsterous. No person....male or female...naturally shows that much of their teeth and gums in an attempt to smile. Whoever it was back at Time did that shit on purpose to make her look scary or clownish. 2. The less obvious but still pretty good point that I don't hear enough Black women discussing is the fact that dark skinned women SHOULD NOT wear red lipstick! Some may ask why in the hell would a MAN have the nerve to sit up and tell women what kind of make-up they should or shouldn't wear? For me it's simple....... Unless you're lesbian, you aren't able to judge the attractiveness of a woman and how flattering her make-up is on her as good as a man (straight man) can. Black women are the most beautiful when they wear make-up flattering to THEIR tone/color....the browns and earth tones. Not wearing make-up designed to beautify White women....like bright red lipstick and blue eye shadow. That red lipstick on Viola clashes with her dark skin and makes her look almost cartoonish or "mammy-ish".

I KNOW I wouldn't have lasted too long out there. I tend to be too much of a "thinker" for strenous manual labor. Not saying that I'm some genius or "deep thinker".....I mean that when it comes to working, rather than "just doing" something, I'll often sit for a while and think of different easier ways to do it.....especially when it comes to sweating and heavy laboring. I would have constantly been in trouble with not only the White folks running the plantation but probably the other slaves too because I would have spent much of the time trying to figure out a way to get all the work expected of me done by noon so I could go somwhere and hide and take a nap...lol. And I've always been that way, even as a teenager mopping floors, bussing tables, and laying carpet. I used to have battles with some managers because I'd always find easier ways to do whatever jobs they gave me. In MY mind, you're paying me to get the job done....not sweat....so if I can get the same thing done with half the effort then what's the big deal? But as I got older I learned that a lot of them were more concerned with seeing you sweat and staying busy than the actual amount of work you got done. In the service industry, mediocre workers who "stay busy" are often treated better than high producers who slack off.

Troy If two people chose to only have sex with each other and actually accomplish it over a lifetime, and it makes them happy--that is great. To expect most humans to enthusiastically embrace and conform to this behavior is woefully naive and unrealistic. Logical, natural, and well said! 　 Del I remember a friend told me i should hook up with a woman who was checking me out. He couldn't comprehend me not sleeping with her. This is a testimony to the OTHER extreme that seems to be pervasive among too many Black males.....atleast when I was coming up. Not only did we have the dominant middle class White society that was sexually immature and somewhat timid who tried to force their morals on sexually confident Black men..... But on the opposite extreme it was part of AfroAmerican male culture...especially among young men....that you were supposed to sleep with ANY woman who showed sexual interest in you! I never did understand the thinking of some brothers. We'd go to a party or a club and the first drunk "hood rat" that smiled at them, they'd jump all over her and take her off into a room somewhere, and later claim he really didn't find her that attractive! Same thing in school, half of the boys lining up to bang that ONE girl who was known as a "freak" for anybody. If you didn't bang every girl who gave you an opportunity to, they'd look at you like you were crazy. According to some of them, you're aren't supposed to turn down ANY coochie! No discretion what so ever. Mel I hear what you're saying about the deception part of cheating. Certainly the lying is wrong and cowardly. However most of these men know that no amount of "re-negotiating" and explaining is going to convince their significant other to OK them having sex with other women, so they figure why even go there. I mean, even if your ex promised to be very considerate and use protection...would you honestly have given him the go ahead with other women? I personally believe the best thing to do if you know you like multiple partners is not even get into a relationship at all. But a lot of relationships today aren't based on love or sex, but one sharing the bills.... A lot of couples rely on eachother just to survive economically, which is another reason why people just go ahead and CHEAT rather than risk breaking up their "business partnership" by being honest. It's also another reason why a lot of women who KNOW their men are cheating on them continue to stay with them....it's a financial decision.

Troy 　 I had a job when I was 14 working in Central Park, pulling weeds and stuff like that. It was exhausting work--I can't image a life of that drudgery... Now see..... You were jumping all over me in the other thread accusing me of being a house slave, but here YOU are ready to fall out after pulling up a few dandelions in the park! Man, if you couldn't handle picking weeds in Central Park no way in the WORLD could you have handled picking cotton on a Mississippi plantation, lol. Just about the only thing you could have done was find one of those coats with the split tail in the back and gets to being the BEST house negro you could be.....lol.

　 who used to be a skeptical young chick. Debbie Downer. Speaking of a sly sense of humor..... I can think of SEVERAL good jokes out of that one line. But it would be neither sly nor appropriate for me to utter them.....lol. BTW, it's my pleasure to share this board with you too.

The feds issued that report years ago but even before the official report we already knew that a lot of White Supremacists have infiltrated law enforcement agencies around the country. I remember one of my cousins who had a spotless record AND a degree and wanted to become a Detroit Police officer during one of thier hiring sprees but complained that he was passed up for the job, but months later he saw a bus pull up full of police recruits in training and almost all of them were White men with shaved heads and red faces.....had that Marine Corp look about them. White cops to patrol a Black city. We WERE making a lot of progress with law enforcement and racism 30 or 40 years ago. When Coleman Young took office back in the early 70s he made it so that not only did they hire more Black police officers but those police had to actually live inside the city! On top of that, in most cases 2 White police officers weren't allowed to ride together. It was either a White and Black cop or 2 Black cops. He also hired a lot of women to the force. We had more Black cops on the force and police brutality went down. Another mayor came in and they gradually got rid of those rules and now police brutality has gone up. 　 Instead of releasing prisoners (many who seem to have mental problems), Obama should have made it one of his priorities to launch a major investigation to root out the racist infiltration before he left office. It's hard to believe that if the feds released a report that Muslim terrorists were infiltrating the police agencies around the nation that the DOJ or even the state and local agencies would just let that report slide without taking some sort of affirmative action.

Viola Davis I can understand. Leslie Jones....I don't know WHO the hell she's "influencing". I think her disgraceful and vulgar behavior on Saturday Night does a huge disservice to AfroAmericans in general and AfroAmerican women in particular. Being bold, vulgar, and brash aren't attributes most "ladies" aspire to so I'm not sure why Time is rewarding her with that type of publicity UNLESS it is their aim to: 1. Make mockery of Black women by putting a vulgar one on display 2. Use Leslie Jones to "influence" Black girls to behave as she does

Del Pioneer you can not imagine a situation where a person can do something that you can not. Or do something that you can not conceive. I can think of a least two situatuons where you can ride a bike without being able to fully identify a bike. Lol @ "fully identify". No one said anything about "fully" identifying anything, because it's an objective concept and we all have diferent OPINIONS on how much of a thing must be identified until it's considered "fully" identified. Nor did I say a person had to know what a bike was simply to RIDE it. Hell, a FOOL can hop on a bike and play around with it without realizing what it is or it's purpose. I said you had to know what a bike was to LEARN HOW to ride it. You don't have to know what a bus is to ride IN one. But you DO have to know what a bus is to learn HOW to drive one. person could be shown how to ride a bike wearing shutters. I don't know about "shown"....lol....but sure a person can be taught how to ride wearing shutters. There are blind people who can ride bikes. But they still first KNOW what a bike is....using their other senses....in order to learn. BTW....Einstein was a physicist and mathematician so he ABSOLUTELY accepted facts. He just didn't stop at the facts he already knew but continued learning more.

　 You have to KNOW it to IDENTIFY it. Facts/Knowledge comes first.....it's the framework for indentification. If you have no knowledge of what a bike is, you wouldn't be able to ID it even if one were standing in your living room. * I didn't say have a thorough knowledge of it or know "all about" it....I said simply KNOW it.

Troy Still, unless something has changed dramatically Black men should err on the side of caution when it comes to joking around in the office. I would never have said something like that to any woman in the office unless I knew her well enough to know she would not go to the man and sell me out. I would have cautioned my man to exert more discretion You're absolutely right, and I did. I'm certainly not advocating for Black men to go around making sexually provocative statements to the women they work with . However I also know that despite the supposed professional codes (this WASN'T a corporate environment but many places try to hold their employees to corporate and professional ethical standards)...I know that the work place is one of the best and THE most common place to find a compatible mate. Mostly because you get to see that person for an extended period of time through a wide range of emotions and conditions which allows you to make a much better judgement about their suitability. Infact, one of the weapon I had at my disposal was the fact that atleast 2 of the men there MET their wives on the same job and atleast a half dozen others are dating eachother so they must not have kept with the code 100 percent.....lol. But as I've gotten older and have seen so much drama that has resulted from co-workers dating and the tension it causes in the work place not only between the parties involved but also among the "haters"......I find myself increasingly telling brothers "don't shit where you eat" and keep it by the book.

Pioneer we have a different style of communication and thought process. Breaking news.......lol. Pioneer when you use the words true and false I think of them they way a logician philosophers or computer programmer would. So there cam be things that are true and wrong . Veracity only means that if I accept your assumptions and follow your thinking I can come to the same conclusion. Personally most assumptions are opinions. I would say that there are no facts. And if i can think of a situation no matter how far fetched that fact is no longer solid. I am not wedded to any idea or belief. Except that i eant to know and figure stuff out. It would be rather hard to know things and figure them out if you don't believe that facts exist, don't you think? When I say facts I'm simply talking about ACCURATE (and current) information. False doesn't necessarily carry an immoral connotation to it, it could just mean inaccurate information that doesn't line up with verifiable reality. But in order to figure out something you have to start off acknowledging certain FACTors involved in the process. You want me to teach you how to ride a bike, you must first be taught what a bike is and then accept it as a FACT. If you refuse to do so....how could any further learning take place? You're liable to grab a broom and try scooting down the street on IT instead.

It appears on the surface that society is better in Canada and these other nations because of universal healthcare and other social services, but I found out: 1. The only reason Canada and Europe can provide free health care and so many other social services for it's citizens is because the United States DEFENDS THEM...so they don't have to spend much on military defense. If the U.S. weren't around to protect them they wouldn't have nearly the amount of free social services for their citizens. And vice versa.... If we didn't spend so much on our military to police the world then we'd have more money for UNIVERSAL HEALTHCARE and other social services. And as proof of what I'm saying, you see austerity rising up in Canada and Europe today. They're raising taxes and cutting social services left and right because America's military is being spread so thin that these other nations are being forced to boost THEIR military spending. Which leads me to another issue.....TAXES. 2. Canada and most European nations take way more taxes out of your income than in the United States to pay for many of these services. Now I wouldn't mind paying UP TO 25% of my income in taxes if I were guranteed universal healthcare and free college tuition and clean safe streets. But many of these places take far higher percentages than that which makes it almost to the point that you get PUNISHED for generating great wealth and it kills ambition. If I were poor with no income, I'd love the fact that wealthy people were taxed to help me. However if I were wealthy or even upper middle class earning a decent living, I wouldn't want to live in a nation that takes 75% of the money I worked hard to earn and just "spread" it around to the disadvantaged. 3. A huge factor in why these nations seem to be doing so well has less to do with thier economic system and more to do with their DEMOGRAPHIC. Canada, Denmark, and Australia.....although having people of color...are OVERWHELMINGLY WHITE nations! They want to see their own people living clean safe and civilized. In the United States you have too many racists in office who have a vested interest maintaining a racial heirarchy and keeping poor and mostly Black and Brown neighborhoods underdeveloped. This has nothing to do with Capitalism vrs Socialism....but more to do with racism. Again, this system isn't the best ever....... But we can still make it work better for us if we were more organized and aggressive. Black people have been here long enough and have enough financial power COLLLECTIVELY to make ourselves the 4th or 5th richest nation on this planet! I've heard it only takes $250,000 to start a credit union. There should be atleast ONE Black owned credit union in nearly every major city in this nation. Why don't we have ONE major Black hospital in this nation? No Black owned barber shop or soul food chains nation wide? It's not Capitalism's fault.....it's lack of unity and mental laziness! If this nation turned socialist overnight Black folks would still be in the SAME condition and social status.....or maybe even worse...... because many would actually QUIT the jobs they do have believing they'll be taken care of.

Del Pioneer the question is what happens in your mind. What you have decscribed is the outcomes and your mental process. If you ask someone how they think then it IS about their mental processes. However if you're asking where do people get their IDEAS from then maybe you're talking about INTUITION and INSPIRATION where thoughts just pop up in a person's mind without them making any effort to ponder it or the factors related to it. Most great artists have this type of thinking, called a "creative imagination". I'm not sure if this type of spontaneous thinking comes from the subconcious of the individual, or the superconscious of the collective. Troy Piecing together what both of them said....... He was sitting behind a desk and she had to reach behind him to get a coat off the wall that she had left. As she was reaching she said, "I'm sorry to put my big butt in your face but I just gotta grab my jacket." He told her, "Don't worry about it, you can put your butt in my face anytime you want to." Honestly, I've made similar comments to women on the various jobs I'VE had not to mention things I've said in regular life. I've gotten so many dates and sexual opportunities from women from making similar comments! But I can understand how in a sterile work environment and depending on the woman you make it to (she was a young "half-Korean" woman) how somone can take offense to comments like that. I knew if a White man made the same comment she wouldn't have become as offended. I also knew that if HE had made the same comment to MOST Black or MOST White women they wouldn't have been nearly as offended either. Knowing this was probably the case pushed me to fight it harder just on the principle of not allowing another Black man be punished for simply being a man. It goes back to what I've been saying for the past few weeks, a lot of the problems Black people have in this society are "invited" by them not standing up for themselves. BTW..... Weeks after that not only did they become "friends" but they started going to Friday's and other spots with other co-workers after work....lol.

*Ofcourse money won't solve all of your problems, but whatever problems you have.....being broke will make them THAT MUCH worse! (now that WAS an original...lol) 　 Troy At the end of the day, it is more profitable to capitalize off a weak, insecure, and ignorant people than it is to profit off those who are strong, conscious and informed (woke). As a result, corporations have no incentive to uplift us--even if they are an educational institution (think Trump University). You're absolutely right! And you know what? As far as I'm concerned corporations and private businesses HAVE NO OBLIGATION to uplift the public! Their only responsibility or obligation is for whatever the original founders started them for or the current owners maintain them for; which is presumably to MAKE MONEY. And in principle I don't have a problem with that goal in and of itself, as long as they aren't harming other people to do it (which far too many of them are doing) That's why we have a GOVERNMENT. The GOVERNMENT should be the ones we hold responsible for looking out for the general wellbeing of the public, not private businesses. If the government were doing IT'S job in the way of making sure everyone had decent housing, enough food, and proper healthcare.....then there wouldn't be so much need to pressure private firms to provide many of these basic necessities. As a direct consequence governments, who do the bidding or corporations, don't do anything to stop them and often HELP corporations exploit people as in the case of Amazon, who is thriving wildly under capitalism, while people become increasingly less well off. This is true. These past 40 years it appears that this nation has grown less CAPITALISTIC and more FEUDALISTIC. Feudalism being an extreme form or end result of unregulated Capitalism. 　 　 　 The system is broken, and to suggest there are no other better alternative makes no sense, when history demonstrates that there are. In no way am I saying that this is the best system the world has EVER known. What I'm saying is I haven't found any CURRENTLY OPERATING alternatives to the system we have in the United States that are BETTER. If you know of any being PRACTICED RIGHT NOW that yield better results then let me know.....because I'm looking for a way to improve my socio-economic status too! And certainly we can MAKE a better system than the one we have today but it would take collective effort.

This is off topic but........... Troy you want to know how and why I've arrived at some of my conclusions when it comes to racial classification? Just look at the so-called "Black" women represented in this commercial. Every one of them (I counted 3) are lighter than a brown paper bag and look mixed. But if you dare raise a complaint to Amazon about there not being any Black women in their ads they will just point to these women, look back at you with their arms folded, and most people will consider the case closed. Girls who grow up not seeing themselves in society or atleast not seeing women who look like them being portrayed in a positive light (ofcourse you can see plenty of dark skinned "nappy" head women for the first 5 minutes on your local 10 oclock news) they often grow up with severe psychological problems. The White women (and man) look clearly White and unmixed. The Asian women looks clearly Asian and unmixed to me. Out of 3 presumably "Black" women they chose for this ad, does anyone believe it's just a coincidence that they couldn't find atleast ONE who was a shade darker than a brown paper bag.

Lol...... It's specifically aimed @ Troy and Cynique....but it's "open to anyone". I'm a strong proponent of accuracy and truth. Not necessarily "judgement" or deciding what is "right" or what is "wrong"...but more so what is TRUE and what is FALSE. So when I go to solve a problem I try to factor in as much truth or accurate information about the issue as I can. For example...... A few years ago one of the employees under me was accused by an employee from another department of sexual harassment. The upper management wanted to immediately write him up and some even wanted to let him go citing "zero tolerance" for sexual misconduct. One employee who wasn't even in management offered to call the police and he barely even knew the facts of the case, but he was a known trouble maker and racist. Sex is a natural thing and I know it's natural for young men to hit on women and try to have sex with them, so I wasn't emotional or angry about it I just knew he was a good worker and I wanted the FACTS about what he did to see how best to defend him. The first thing I did was sit the brother down and ask him to tell me EXACTLY what happened, not what he thought I wanted to hear. After apologizing and grinning and embarrassment on his part I got him to finally admit what he did, which was a bit different from what he was accused of and DEFINATELY didn't fit under what's commonly considered sexual harassment. I tried to have a sit down with the accuser before we all went to the office but she wasn't having any of it and her manager kept pushing her on to pursue the matter even further. This young brother was a good worker and I was ready for battle to keep him clean so I prepared myself with the FACTS of what he did....her reaction....and the company's official policy on matters like this. Most of all I refused to let him apologize for what he did! He kept wanting to (and eventually did apologize to her later on against my advice) but I told him that this was business and they didn't want to hear any apologies because that would admit that you did something wrong. My defense of this brother rested on 2 things: 1. What he did was indeed flirtatious but NOT sexual harassment. 2. I charged the accuser with CULTURAL DISCRIMINATION and being ignorant of how people from other cultures interact with eachother. To make a long story short the meeting ended with the brother NOT being written up and a few weeks later one of the district managers who happened to be there and decided to drop by and listen in on the case heard me speaking so well and presenting the FACTS so plainly and directly that he was impressed and offered me a temporary training position! Now if we had went in there dealing with FEELINGS and OPINIONS and what she PERCEIVED his behavior to have meant.....he probably would have gotten written up if not let go. But I wasn't going to let them manipulate the rules based on flimsy opinions and perceptions, when it comes to threatening a man's livelihood you better come with the FACTS. The biggest lesson a person can learn from this story is that it pays to stand up for one's self. But the second biggest is that it pays to have the FACTS!

Cynique Not only do I agree with your post, I often wonder do you REALLY mean everything you post.... Or do you just read my ATTEMPTS to argue with Troy....feel sorry for me.....and out of pity and frustration decide to take up my argument and present it in a stronger more detailed fashion simply to show how it SHOULD be done....lol. But just one thing...... That book I presented on Native American savagery wasn't RECOMMENDED by me. I haven't read it so I'm not promoting it nor am I condeming it's content. I presented it simply as an example of how you can find books for or against any group of people. 　 　 Troy I only asked for a single title @Pioneer1--one book. I figured you would come strong--definitely a book you'd actually read. Is this the best book you could come up with? A book, from some unknown publisher written by an even more obscure author whose credentials, knowledge and bias are all unverifiable. This is what you share with me as your reference material? ???? Lol.... Excuse me but your EXACT request was: @Pioneer1 please refer me to a single book, written in the last 50 years, that describes native Americans as "blood thirsty savages and cannibals." You said nothing about my having to have read it or any other criteria. You asked for reference material, and I provided exactly what you asked for. Not only have I NOT read the book, I'm not INTERESTED in reading the book. I only posted it to illustrate to you and prove to you MY POINT that there are as many books out there that negatively portray the Native Americans as there are those that portray them positively. As far as the documentaries you recommended....... I'm not sure what point you were trying to make, but my argument isn't whether or not Africans OR Native Americans had great civilizations before.....because we certainly did. MY argument revolves around the benefits of Capitalism over Communism or Socialism and that's where I'm gonna stay focused on. I'm not gonna divert from that and chase you all around the planet going all the way back to ancient Egypt in an attempt to prove to me something I already know about Black history. Ofcourse we had our own systems back then, but we DON'T have one today and until we GET one of our own we should stick with works best for us. Man, this is such a profound statement. So @Pioneer1, if you were a slave living in the big house, the child of a raped African (your mother), who was later sold. You work 18 hours a day every day, wiping the ass of the dude that raped your mother and every other decent looking enslaved Black woman--including your wife... The only thing that comes to your mind is figuring out how to have fun? That is deep. No....survival. It's easy to sit in a comfortable home in 2017 and "philosophize" about what you would do or not do back in slavery. But in those days it was about SURIVAL. Most slaves did what they had to do and what their LIMITED KNOWLEGE allowed them to conceive of doing. It wasn't about being brave and vituous and enduring mutual suffering, it was about survival and getting through a jacked up situation as best they could. Besides..... Aren't YOU the one who questions life after death and the reality of a spirit world? If so, why the hell SHOULDN'T he make the best out of such a terrible situation? What good would it have done the house slave to give up what little benefit he was getting just to go out and suffer with the rest of the slaves? Atleast in the house he had the influence and resources at his disposal to help himself and his family....if he chose to do so. Perhaps you put your finger on the mentality that keeps us mental slaves to this day. People are too busy having fun for themselves instead of trying to make things better for everyone... Again, this is not our nature, this is our conditioning. Again, this is basic human nature.....for MOST people. By nature most people are selfish and AREN'T concerned about the well being of others but only themselves and their family. I didn't say most people wanted to HARM others, because I don't believe this. I'm just saying most people DON'T CARE about what happens to others outside of their family and circle of friend. Just like only a select few people are psychopaths who have NO empathy or feeling toward others, a select few people are universal empaths who care about the well being of ALL of humanity and go out of their way to help everyone. But most human beings...regardless of race....reside somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. This is one of the reasons GOVERNMENTS were invented. Knowing that most individuals are basically selfish, it was smart and wise to come up with some sort of collective system to ensure the safety and provision for people who ordinarily would be ignored or even taken advantage of and abused by their fellow man.

　 Many Black men are depressed because they're living in a society that has become too complicated for them to function successfully in. They are frustrated because they can't seem to obtain the wealth and power that they want (and need) in order to remain psychologically healthy. To make matters worse...... In an age where homosexuality is more acceptable, for some reason Black men are often STILL chided by eachother as being weak or punks if they express any emotion other than one of strength. Even among Black women......... I know so many Black women who have gay effeminate Black male friends, but yet turn around and call many of the straight Black males they know "weak" if they can't maintain a relationship or challenge their manhood if they can't hold a job.

Del The precision was a bit off but the date is right within a week Who realised it was my first attempt. Well, maybe you'll learn from it and NOT attempt it again.....lol. Lol @ "precision" being off.....　 Man, I'm glad you don't build houses for a living. I could see you struggling to explain to some poor family why their home you built for them slid down the hill and into the nearby pond. "Well..... My precision was a bit off so I didn't build the house EXACTLY on the foundation laid for it but I figured it was CLOSE ENOUGH seeing as how it was my first attempt and all." And one really talented one like the prediction I'm sure they did. Your prediction reassured them of their JOB SECURITY...lol.

I forgot where I heard this, but someone suggested that strippers might fell a little different about what they do seeing Harriett Tubman's face stuffed in their crotches... ...something tells me they will get used to it. Brutha, the strippers I KNOW have had so many REAL FACES stuffed in theIr crotches (among other crevices)....I don't think Harriett's paper face will faze them..lol. That reminds me...... I need to stop by the store and get some singles so I can "make it rain" tommorow night....lol.

Lol...... I don't know about the predictions you post on FACEBOOK but I know about the one you posted HERE on AALBC....and again, it DID NOT COME TRUE. Let's see..... I can knock down your so-called "prediction" from 2 different directions: 1. I can use YOUR OWN WORDS: "@Pioneer1 in about two weeks the 26 days will expire. I wold say his approval will be between - 26 - 31% plus or minus 7. " .....which, when read in context, CLEARLY implies that 2 weeks from the time you posted it (which was in January) Donald's approval ratings would be between 19-38%. The date April 21st was to be found NO WHERE in your prediction. Not on THIS site atleast. Now if you really meant for those following your predictions on THIS SITE to understand that you meant "April 21st" then perhaps you should have included that in your post instead of posting it NOW after the fact. 2. Or I can post ANOTHER article from a reputable source that puts his approval rating OUTSIDE of your predicted margin: "A Gallup poll released Thursday shows Trump averaged a job approval rating of 41 percent since his Jan. 20 inauguration- a figure 14 percent lower than any other president in Gallup's polling history." http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2017/04/donald_trump_approval_rating_p_2.html Not only was that poll from GALLUP but the date it was reported on was APRIL 21st! That's the same date that you NOW claim for your predicting that his approval rating wouldn't be over 38%. But that's the nature of polls and political statistics. You can dig up numbers to support any argument. So....... Unless I'm talking to Donald "when I said the armada is on it's way....I didn't mean what it implied at the time I said it" Trump who's words have to be taken with a grain of salt, I'm gonna go ahead and say that your prediction failed. Next.

Troy @Pioneer1 please refer me to a single book, written in the last 50 years, that describes native Americans as "blood thirsty savages and cannibals." I believe that book was published in 2008 I just found that one after a quick 2 minute search, but there are others......... I didn't post this book because I agreed with it's content, but to prove my previous point that for every book showing how gentle and peaceful the Native Americans were there are others that say the exact opposite. Again, it's fruitless to debate pre-modern history because as soon as you THINK you know the truth about an event someone comes along with brand new information that was stored away in some old vault somewhere. I'm not going to deny that the exploitation of Black labor wasn't one of the key factors in making this nation the economic powerhouse that it is; but slavery existed and STILL EXISTS in dozens of nations all around the planet If slavery was the sole reason why the United States is so rich then why aren't OTHER nations that practiced and STILL practice slavery just as rich? Slavery....especially the exploitation of Black labor...was prevelant ALL OVER the Americas from Cuba to Brazil.....why aren't THEY doing as good as the United States? CAPITALISM and is one of the reasons for our tremendous wealth. Not JUST because of the exploitation...although that admittedly is a factor...but also because: a) The incentives Capitalism offers to not only the business owners but also to the workers themselves actually encourages productivity with the hope for more gain. b ) The light restriction and regulation under most Capitalist systems allow for a more flexible way of designing and managing economic structures and businesses to maximize profits and production. 　 　 No man, what we have is an oligarchy and it is sad to see so many people defend it when so many people are suffering under it. I guess it is no different that the house slave who fights to defend massa's house... Well..... If the field slave doesn't have anything to OFFER the house slave and doesn't have a plan to get both of them free, perhaps the house slave is better off keeping his ass IN THE HOUSE and enjoying as much of massa's luxuries as he can get his hands on! Think about it. If the field negro doesn't have a plan to get free, and is just mad because he has to work his ass off sweating in the hot sun.....is YOU leaving the comforts of the house just to come out and keep him company in his misery going to help either one of you? It's always best to NOT be a slave. However if by misfortune you are gonna be slave ANY-damn- way.... And you didn't receive divine revelation to help you free yourself. And you aren't willing to die fighting massa for your freedom And you don't have a viable plan for your freedom. ......then wouldn't the logical thing to do is derive as much pleasure as you can out of such a jacked up situation? I agree that we live in an oligarchy.....an Oligarchal Republic to be exact. And it's rapidly becoming a PLUTOCRACY. But the few have ALWAYS ruled the many, in just about every human society you can think of. You'd like to live under a Democracy but a true Democracy among humans is almost impossible because if EVERYONE is in charge then who would be authorized to make rules and keep order? You don't want to live under a theocracy where only one religion is allowed. You certainly don't want to live under a dictatorship with on man calling all the shots. So do you want to live in an anarchy where NOBODY rules and everyone does whatever they want with no one to answer to? That'll last about 2 weeks......lol.

Ofcourse seeing more of "yourself" in your day to day reality will improve your self esteem. One of the reasons so many Africans and West Indians who migrate to the United States and do so much better as a group than AfroAmericans has less to do with them being inately smarter and more to do with the fact that they come here with a higher sense of self esteem and self-worth. They achieve greatness because they BELIEVE they can! Despite the poverty so many were raised in, Africans are born and raised in an environment where everyone of worth and achievement LOOKS LIKE THEM. The president and politicians are Black The school teachers and principals are Black The police officers are Black The lawyers and judges are Black The soldiers are Black The construction workers are Black. Everyone who runs the society....despite the problems that society may have.....are Black. So you grow up looking at people who look just like you who are called smart, beautiful, powerful, brave, and any other positive attribute you can think of. You grow up with the mentality that you can aspire to and achieve the highest positions of the land through effort and skill. Contrast THAT with the United States where White people basically run the nation and keep it humming and you end up going to them for your every want, need and grievance. Black folks don't even make thier own toilet paper. You grow up feeling oppressed, opposed, limited in your options, and feeling that others who don't look like you are better than you and that you should "know your place" and rely on them. BTW..... I look forward to Harriet Tubman's face being on the 20 dollar bill....lol. I just hope they don't lighten her up or straighten out her hair. MLK and Frederick Douglass should have BEEN on some currency.

Troy For every book you can find me showing how peaceful and wholesome the Native Americans were and what a "heaven" the Americas were before White people arrived.....I can find another that portrays Native Americans as blood thirsty savages and cannibals who were ripping eachothers hearts until they were either decimated or "civilized". As I've said numerous times before, to me it's a bit futile to argue over history because no one is able to actually PROVE what happend hundreds of years ago. The most you can do is gather evidence to support your position and hope it outweighs the opposition. I'm sure the truth lays somewhere in between. Some tribes were violent and war like, others were peaceful and isolated. Some were matriarchal and had women leaders, others were partriarchal and men called the shots. The same with the continent of Africa and it's many different tribes and ethnic groups who like they are today were probably warring with eachother thousands of years before the first White man ever set foot on the continent. The point is, people very from one region to another and no place on this Earth is perfect. It wasn't back then, and it isn't now. The shit only works when people are exploited and enslaved--you know this right? And you DO know that Communism doesn't even work AT ALL right? I don't think Capitalism necessarily needs enslavement to work properly but it DOES need a certain amount of exploitation in order to function. But exploitation ITSELF lines up with human nature. A small minority of people are very smart. The majority are of average intelligence. A small minority of people are very ambitious and want to own everything The majority are content owning just enough to provide comfort for themselves and their families A small minority of people are managerial and love organizing and controling people The majority don't like the mental work of organizing or telling others what to do and would rather be TOLD what to do. Thus you have the recipe for exploitation. I'm not arguing that it's right....or wrong..but almost all human beings are exploited be someone to some degree at some time or another. When you realize this, you then demand adequate compensation for your exploitation or you go into business for yourself and turn the tables around. Cynique Miss Sunshine Is it any wonder that I am a pessimistic? What is there to be optimistic about? "Man's inhumanity to man is what prevails in this god-forsaken world were truth is a casualty, and equality a myth. The rich get richer and the poor will always be with us. Have a good day Hey Sunshine! I'm reading a pretty good book I think YOU should check out: You can take lessons from this dude......lol. He paints an even gloomier picture of humanity than YOU do! I have no doubt that Troy would also find much of the content of this book quite interesting as well.

A rich white capitalist crook perhaps...... But Donald Trump is no fool and most of those in power don't consider him one. Sure he was born with a silver nipple in his mouth, but he took what his father left him and multiplied it into a conglomerate. He may say vulgar and uncouth things from time to time because of his high powered aggressive personality but he's a shrewed business man which means he has to know atleast the basics of human psychology and how to talk to people to get what he wants. He's no George W. Bush.....not by a long shot. The people who run the country know EXACTLY what they're doing. They may PRETEND that they don't and act stupid and incompetent in order to fool the masses and blind them to their real agenda, but they are far from stupid. Katrina is a good example. They know how to ship military equipment halfway around the world in less than a day but they PRETENDED like they didn't know the hurricane would be as devastating as it was and they pretended that they were trying thier best to get aid and personel down there when they were clearly stalling and actually TURNING BACK assistance from places like Cuba. They get what THEY WANT accomplished. As far as Black victimization.................. When one thinks analytically we realize that the problems Black folks face not only come from White racism, but also themselves. Due to the poor education and dysfunctional environment so many have been raised in, this society has simply become too complicated for a lot of Black people to function in. So even when racism isn't directly being practiced against them, too many of our people are finding it hard to "make it" and live a productive life in the United States.