Pioneer1

Need I'm hip to the history of how the young lawyer and his band of men took power in Cuba and how most of the wealthy White Cubans fled to Miami because the new Communist government seized most of their land and businesses and was planning on seizing the rest of thier wealth....lol. All Americans and AfroAmericans in specific can learn quite a few lessons from the Cuban people not only in independence but in medicine and agriculture. You must wonder how such a small island nation maintains itself so well through a 50 year embargo. Pound for pound (and probably in actual numbers given the state of Black youth in America today) there are more Black doctors and scientists in Cuba than any other nation in the Western Hemisphere. Anika Cornel West! Now that's a name that I can trust. Always on point, and in an eloquent way. We need more Black intellectuals who can articulate our concerns in an effective yet non-hostile way.

Boys fight as a rites of passage. This has been going on for thousands of years even before America even existed. It's done naturally to establish a sense of hierarchy among males so you know where you stand when you get older. In other words....... If you can't fight worth a damn, it's best to find out when you're 8 and there's less of a chance of serious damage....than to find out when you're 20 and end up getting that ass "toe" up.....lol. It's the same with "bullying" to a CERTAIN extent (although some bullying is downright torture and shouldn't be tolerated). If something is "wrong" with you, you often learn at an early age from other children who don't know any better than to tell you so you can either correct the problem or learn to deal with it as you get older. MOST boys fight as a rites of passage if their testosterone levels are normal and they have been "sissified". Aggressiveness has been encouraged among young men through out time which is why they have militaries. The problem today is that many of the urban areas of America are now flooded with guns and not enough fathers and responsible men to CONTROL this natural aggression and rites of passage and so it has gotten out of control. Telling boys not to be aggressive or fight is not a viable answer because it's in their natures to be aggressive. A more appropriate and effective solution would be to limit the availability of guns and have more police officers in the neighborhoods and more security in the schools. And ofcourse bring back CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. Time out and this other psychological garbage they're trying may work on sissified rosy cheeked boys from sheltered backgrounds who've never been in so much as a fist fight.....lol. But if you try it as a form of punishment on hardcore urban teens who fight eachother just for fun, it's a dangerous joke. And I say dangerous because when you depend on weak and ineffective "solutions" to control a violence problem you are actually putting other people's lives and safety in jeopardy.

And as far as the Chinese goes.....they're bought off. Western corporations have figured out a way to get the Chinese government to enslave their own citizens for THEIR benefit. So in China you don't have communism, you have ultra capitalism with a tiny minority of government officials reaping most of the profits.

Yes, too much money can lead to inflation but most of the value of money or any other product is determined by DEMAND and not necessarily by supply. Look at oil. There's plenty of it, yet the cost continues to rise because of the DEMAND...not necessarily the supply. There is great demand for all the money they're printing up as they're using it for war, real estate, oil, paying off government workers, ect..... As long as the demand for the money is there it will be valuable. Again, the debt is just an excuse to point to. They were saying that the dollar was about to collapse from inflation back when the debt was only 5 trillion, then they really went crazy at 10 trillion. Now it's at 16 trillion and growing and the cost of food and most other things are still the same as it was back when the debt was 10 trillion and the economy is still buzzing. The goverment should be the great arbitrator. They are supposed to step in and do what the private citizens can't or won't do. When the free market and private investors refuse to jump in first and invest in rebuilding the innercity then the Federal Government has a RESPONSIBILITY to step in and initiate....and possibly carry most of the load if need be.

Troy Article 1 section 8 of the United States Constitution gives the Federal goverment the right to literally MAKE UP (in other words print and add value to) as much money as they want. The feds can print money. The state and local municipalities can't. This is just a plain fact. Sure the federal government can tax Americans and get money from various sources but they can also PRINT thier own money and that's where most of it is coming from now. This socalled "debt" is just a joke. An excuse conservatives politicians can point to when they don't want to fund projects that they don't support. Even Dick Cheney said debts don't matter. Do you really think they have plans to actually pay off $16 trillion??? Let us look at this logically..... Broke = no money Debt = you owe money. Debt doesn't necessarily mean broke. Just because you owe a lot of money doesn't mean you don't have any, most business people operate on a level of debt that often outweighs thier liquid assets. The United States was about 7 trillion in debt when they went to work with Iraq and Afganistan....where did they get the money to fight a 2 trillion dollar war? Come on man, they can print it up at will.

That's what they're supposed to do but not only are many major cities cash strapped but they are poorly managed and poorly laid out. On my website I go into the reasons why Detroit and many other cities have deteriorated from the inside out because of poor urban planning to begin with that didn't provide a dense enough tax base to maintain city services. Also many of these cities have a history of corruption and mismanagement which is why a jobs program should be initiated and closely supervised by the Federal Government to provide proper oversight and audit the money to make sure it goes to the people and projects it's supposed to. You're right....... That's how the system is SUPPOSED to work, but it actually doesn't work that way. What you're saying about having to get the tax dollars from somewhere else only applies when seeking funds from state or local governments. States and local municipalities don't have the ability to print thier own money or borrow money from one pocket to put it in the other like the Federal Government can, so thier money really is limited. Cash strapped cities used to borrow money and get generous grants from the Federal Government but the conservatives are turning the Federal faucet off to the states and cities. So now when your city is strapped for cash they tax the hell out of you or set up speed traps to get as much money out of the public as they can to keep the services up. However the Federal Government's pockets are deep, which is why they have money to continually extend unemployment benefits or come up with money for wars and space projects and other things all while being 16 trillion in the hole.....lol. Any jobs program on a large scale would eventually have to look to the Feds to receive adequate funding. That's my point. People keep waiting on charity or the private sector to step up and do what the government should be doing themselves. It's not the responsibility of charitable organizations, wealthy philanthropists, or venture capitalists to improve the infrastructure of America's cities.....it's the government's job. That's one of the reasons we HAVE a government isn't it? Sure some rich old ladies in sweat pants with water bottles can get out on a nice warm day and clean up a few allies and toss a few twinkies out to homeless people as they drive by on their way back home but it's not the responsibility of the church or rich people with big hearts to look out for the welfare of the citizenry. It's the government's responsibility. Most other Western industrialized countries accept this, America is the only wealthy nation where peope belive the government doesn't have a responsibility to help it's citizens and that they should turn to begging rich people for help.

There's already a demand for services in most innercities in America, and plenty of human capital to supply that service. The only difference is the Government is sitting around waiting for PRIVATE investors to organize and supply the services instead of THEM doing it themselves. I can give you 3 right off the bat: 1. Picking up trash and bulk items from the streets and alleys. 2. Sand blasting and painting over graffiti 3. Cutting the grass and cutting down the trees and overgrown brush in abandonned neighborhoods These are low skilled jobs that only require goggles, work gloves, and relatively decent health. No one should need a degree or have to pass a marijuana test just to do this.

People have to eat so the decisions are usually made FOR them by their limited opportunities. Whether you have a degree or not, it's the man in the suit behind the desk in the HR office who ultimately decides whether you get (and keep) that $100,000 a year corporate job. And if he/she decides to give it to their buddy or son-in-law instead then you're S-O-L. So now you're stuck with a degree, a lot of debt, and no other options but to......take the job mopping floors, try to sponge off friends/family, or try your hand in the illegal trades. Mopping floors wouldn't be so bad if it paid a LIVING WAGE. But most mainenance jobs don't, so most Americans take them only grudgingly as a last resort. That is....if those jobs are still available, because illegal immigrants take them happily! You can easily survive making only $7 an hour if there are 15 of you in one house and all are working 60 hours a week and sharing meals and rides. But what you're really asking is.....what is YOUR solution Pioneer??? I personally think...... And this is one of M-PACT's solutions by the way........ That the government (Federal or State) should create "guaranteed" community service type jobs where able bodied citizen who can't find adequate employment in the private sector can just sign up for a term with one of several government job programs and immediately get a wage performing low skilled work around the area. Roosevelt basically did this during the Great Depression with the WPA, NRA, and CCC These were government created jobs that didn't wait on the private sector to employ the masses of unemployed but put them to work (quite creatively) rebuilding the infrastructure of America. Hell, they're already spending billions to provide people with unemployment for 5 and 6 years a stretch. Why not take that same money and use it to put people to work giving them skills at the same time?

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it. ONLY righteous Black men will clean up the problems plaguing the inner cities of America. I used to think that White men had the ability to do it but didn't have the will, now I truly believe that they no longer even have the ability to effectively and properly establish order and civility in the "hood". The problem is actually beyond their control. The only thing many White law enforcment officials know how to do is either: a)Keep troubled areas segregated and cut off from the rest of the city to contain the problem or b)Lock as many "criminals" as they can up without dealing with what makes people turn criminal in the first place or c)Use gestapo type tactics like arming themselves and other citizens so they can shoot down as many "bad guys" as they can as a last resort In other words, rather than addressing the CAUSE of the problem they only try to deal with and contain the problem as much as they possibly can and then hope for some sort of solution in the future. Only Black (and Latino) men who know the psychology of eachother know how to surgically and effectively go into these areas and not only protect the community but with the skill and precision of a surgeon....impliment programs with focus for maximum effectiveness. For example..... If you have a group of healthy young men being pressured by not only thier bellies to eat, but by the courts to pay child support and other daily financial obligations......those brother need money. This is a capitalist society. Food clothing and shelter isn't free. How are they going to get money to meet their needs outside of selling dope or stealing? Especially if the ony jobs in thier immediate area are liquor stores ran by immigrants or churches ran by degreed pastors? You must: 1. Flood the neighborhood with police officers to stablize it and provide security 2. Quickly bring in a force of good paying (in Chicago say....atleast $15 and hour minimum) jobs that require only basic intelligence and ability so that everybody who wants to work can. This eliminates excuses for criminal enterprise and will separate decent people from those who are just plain no good. 3. Then you can effectively focus on the hardcore unredeemable criminal element. How much would this cost for one neighborhood? Let's say 1 billion dollars at the most. But wouldn't it be worth it?

Any information that's just now "coming out" about Jonylah's father is out because they PUT it out. Why does the public need to know all the dirt on that little girl's daddy? Demonizing the parents. Do they demonize the parents of these mass murderers for not raising them properly or leaving guns around the house for them to get ahold of? No Look at the news and how they have to broadcast a negative element to so many tradgedies involving Black victims. Look at that SUV accident in Ohio where 6 teens were killed when thier vehicle flipped into a pond. 6 young people died tragically and their bodies weren't even cold before the media started putting out reports to demonize them: ((Old square headed clown in a suit shuffling papers at a news desk)) "Whoaa looks like they weren't wearing seat belts......." Then the next day..."Wow, now it looks like there was too many of them piled up in the car!!". Then the next day...."Oh jeez, we now have reports the SUV they were in wasn't theirs and may have been stolen". I knew then the teens had to be Black or mostly Black for the lack of compassion shown to them. I'm beginning to believe that some news organizations have a policy againsts broadcasting anything that may entice the public to feel sorry for Black people in any way. If there's a story that may jerk even a few tears, they have to follow it up with something to somehow lead the viewer to believe the poor negro was the reason for his own demise.

In my opinion I think too many of our people are placing too much weight on the wrong things and it has made many of them lazy and lacking in ambition. ((jumps back behind a corner and shouts out: )) Now wait...let me explain! A nation or community works best when the majority of the people are working class. Not broke and unemployed..... And not rich.... But working daily and keeping the system going. In the case of America, that means we need a strong service sector that pays people decent wages and benefits for decent service. But because during the past 40 years the service sector wages haven't been keeping up with the cost of living, most people (including AfroAmericans) have tended to avoid and despise service related jobs taking them only as an absolute last resort while focusing ultimately landing a corporate job or their own business. When they don't get it, they tend to give up, lose ambition, and either stop working (turning illegal or becoming a parasite to friends/family/community) or grudgingly take a low wage service job and do it only half-ass while grumbling. The fact is most people WILL NOT get corporate jobs or own thier own business because of the simple fact that most aren't qualified for them and thier aren't enough to go around. It's like everybody in the hood trying to slang. EVERYBODY can't slang and drive around in fancy cars in nice clothes.....lol. Hell, there's gotta be somebody left to slang TO. If everybody is selling and no body is buying then you're stuck holding a useless product with no money. That's why I think the real American dream should be that of making a decent and "relatively" easy living for one's self and one's family, not necessarily getting rich. As unglamorous as it may sound, as long as it pays enough to pay the bills and keep them and their families eating some people should be content driving buses, flipping burgers, and mopping floors.

That.....or perhaps something similar, lol. It's all about being able to switch your focus back and forth on a dime. It's like acting. Some people can do it, some people can't. I don't think it's about intelligence or education but how your brain is wired. I did OK. I was promoted to managing my own store which was (and still is) one of the worst in the region. I wasn't able to turn it around and 3 months after the promotion (having moved to the city) I was fired and replaced by another guy who was also fired and replaced. Multiply that story by 4 different people....lol.

Perhaps the term "multi-tasking" would give you a better idea of the importance of being able to integrate physical and mental reflexes. Picture a mother who is able to keep and eye on and entertain her child WHILE cooking dinner and making sure the laundry is washed, dried, and folded all at the same time. Or just picture a father talking to his friend in the living room about sports or sex but when his little daughter comes in with a picture he painted he's able to congradulate her, send her on her way, and resume the conversation. The mental and physical reflexes are constantly working in concert sometimes together and sometimes separately but in the proper sequence.

Our website (found in the link next to my signature below) has been updated to include more of our goals and suggestions for a better economy.

That was a great read. I find this part expecially interesting: "If you look at the 1910 Census, there were more African American entrepreneurs than Whites. Today with all of the communication tools at our disposal, the tremendous consumer spending, and the urgent need to create jobs within the Black community, we must raise our collective consciousness and bring that entrepreneurial spirit forward again through massive action.” Durng the late 70's and early 80's after "legal" integration there was a big shift in Black economics that took the focus from independance and business ownership as a form of economic security to abandoning the small businesses and joining corporate America and then trying to work one's way up the corporate ladder. In Detroit as in many Black cities, most of the gas stations and liquor stores and resturants and funeral parlors and even many grocery stores were owned and operated (and quite well) by Black men and women. Black men who often had bald heads and glasses from the stress of operating a business and reading the necessary figures to keep a business successfully humming. Many of thier sons and daughters saw thier parents getting up at 5 in the morning to go to the store or resturant and make a living, decided they didn't want to do that, and chose to get a degree and apply for a position in corporate America with a salary and benefits. And we all know how THAT turned out.

Troy For the record, I see neither Chavez NOR Obama as Black. I see both as men of African descent, but racially speaking neither are Black in my opinion. As far as Chavez being seen as Black if he were in America......it depends. His being of Spanish ancestry and being a Latino may negate the "one drop" theory in the eyes of most Americans. How many Puerto Ricans have you known in New York who were Blacker than you but because they spoke with an accent were considered "Latino" instead? Most Americans still see Latino as a race in and of itself. Anika THAT beady-eyed character is even spookier than the first negro you had on the stage! Atleast the Black dude was just doing a little harmless ranting and raving on his way back home from the cleaners..... Buy him a cold beer and he'll probably take back everything he said, lol. But that White guy you put on ain't playing around....he's got an agenda. He's in a suit and tie dropping some George Orwellian type shiit no one else could have even dreamed up.

((Pioneer looks at Boitumelo sideways)) Man.... Do you just sit around watching Fox News and parrot every racist report they toss out? Before I even opened up your thread I KNEW it would be about some homicide on the streets of Chicago. As if the violence and gang problem in Chicago is something new........ As if Chicago is the only city ecperiencing gun violence...... As if this is the first time a an innocent child has been killed.... All this report on Black violence is just a damn smokescreen...a red herring tossed out by right-wing to focus the gun debate on the innercity instead of on the country as a whole. Just like they're trying to get people to focus on mental illness as the source of violence instead of guns For 40 years conservatives didn't give a damn what happened to crazy people.....now "all of a sudden" America has a problem treating her mentally ill. Focus on THAT...but whatever you do don't focus on ole Billy Bob with the rebel flag on the back of his pick-up truck and his 14 assault rifles that he's allowed to carry next to him in the passenger seat! And look how this is phrased: Go ahead.........((sits back, smiles, and waves hand)) Really....just forget about the fact that the other boy accused was White. He's just "another teen" and his race doesn't matter....let's focus on that Black boy And now today the media is focusing on a couple of silly girls who sent threats via twitter.....as if no one else has ever done that. The way the media is CHOOSING to be all over this "unprecedented event".....how much is anyone willing to be me that these girls are probably Black also and their images will too be shown all over the media for the world to see? Personally I think what those boys did (and by the way they were 16 year old BOYS/JUVENILES/MINORS and I thought there was some sort of law that prevented the media from showing their images to the public) was not only stupid but despicable, and there was no excuse for it. But seriously???? When did the law start going after men who get women drunk and have sex with them and accuse those men of being rapists? If that's the case, probably nearly half of the former and current Ivy League students would be convicted rapists. Anyone remember the Duke LaCross rape case and how those boys were let go because several young men having sex with that one woman was seen as consentual? I'm very critical of the immoral behavior often found in the Black community but this one sided hypocritical targetting of Black behavior sometimes just gets me salted. Especially when the criticism isn't constructive but just a parroting of what racists are saying as a form of propaganda.

It was a sales job where we would often have to give seminars to and take questions from a very diverse public from pregnant women to college kids to construction workers to grumpy retirees. You'd have a sales pitch but often times people will catch you off guard by asking questions or challenging you to verify what you say. You heard of someone throwing the proverbial "curb ball" question haven't you? He wanted to see how well you could focus on a subject....have your attention diverted and be sharp enough to quickly handle the distraction....then resume your focus on the original subject.

Troy It's like trying to herd a bunch of selfish cats together the same as you would sheep, lol. Ofcourse. Even in the Mafia, the bosses know to give their capos and soldiers a decent cut of the profits and treat them with respect....to keep them happy and loyal. He doesn't really give a damn about them, but he has enough sense to know that if his subordinates aren't happy they'll abandon him so that the feds take him away or another family takes him out. Most rich Black people STILL haven't learned from OJ Simpson the importance of staying in touch with and sharing some of your wealth and influence with your community, if only as a form of insurance so that they come to your aid when you need them. Likewise, too many Black people with money are indifferent to the various laws and other legislative activity of their local communities and often become concerned when it's too late and those laws end up eating away their wealth. You mean you're worth 5 million but you didn't know what the tax policies in your county was until the sheriff's department slapped a yellow sticker on your window? I understand what you're saying. If I'm in trouble the first One I call on is God, but if a man/woman can save me I don't care WHAT color they are.....I'll take the help and be very appreciative of it. But let is reason together over something........... You and I both know most of our people don't know how to speak in coded language let along understand it. If we didn't use the terms "Black this" and "Black that" and specifically target Black people to get their act together, often times things go right over their heads and somebody else picks it up and uses what was meant to help them. I don't know how many times I'm in a book store or at an event and start talking about how we need to get our schools together and clean up the crime in our neighborhoods.....I could be talking to a group with both Blacks and Whites but the White people will start nodding thier heads and join the conversation while the Blacks will start playing on their cell phone. I often have to say "Black schools" or "Black neighborhoods" to get thier attention. We should all live together as decent human beings but very few people are going to respect you as an equal if you have nothing to offer. Arabs, Koreans, Cubans.....they don't come to America and operate as "human beings" as much as they operate collectively as Arabs, Koreans, and Cubans setting up thier own little enclaves and doing business with eachother. In a capitalist society you are in constant competition with other people not only as individuals but as groups.

Since I'm in this thread, I think it's only proper manners that I address the question posed in it before I address other issues........... Was Hugo Chavez a Better Black Leader Than President Obama? *If the term "Black Leader" is being defined as a leader who happens to be Black.... No Because Hugo Chavez was not Black. It's obvious he had African ancestry and I believe he mentioned it, however he also had European (Spanish) and Indian ancestry as well and looked more Meztizo than Afro. *However if the term "Black Leader" is defined as a leader (of any race) who Black people are following. I would have to say the answer would be Yes Chavez's socialist policies benefitted the poor and lower classes much more than the capitalist "bail 'em out" policies of President Obama. And since most Black people are on the lower end of the economic ladder, they would benefit more under HIS policies than under Obama's. I'm a capitalist, but I don't believe in crony capitalism and I also believe some things (like healthcare) should be socialized. But concerning the brutha in the video............ I'm not sure if it's because he's driving and not totally focused on what he's saying, but the gentleman in the video seems too angry and inarticulate to adequately get his point across. One shouldn't be so quick to make a video and broadcast it to a world wide audience until they know WHAT they want to say and HOW to say it....less you sound so sloppy that people will be too busy laughing at you to focus on what you're trying to say. Now I agree with him that President Obama hasn't done enough for Black people or most of the liberal base who put him in. However if you want someone to do something you must first figure out what exactly it is you want and put it down in writing and present it to him as a a PLAN. What do you want? Better schools? Better paying jobs? Free healthcare? What is your AGENDA? Another problem is too many Black people think that all they have to do is vote their man in and thier job is done. A negro will put on a suit and tie and go vote, stop to get some Popeye's chicken and a red pop, and go home to eat and sleep soundly thinking his job is done. Once you put a man in office you must support him financially and keep the money coming in to counter the money being sent from the opposing lobbyists to make sure your man stays on the inside and your agenda stays on the table. Also you must support him through the media by constantly getting on television and radio arguing for YOUR issues and interests and not just going along with whatever your particular political party is promoting today. Its' not magic, It's about money and influence....plain and simple. BTW..... I believe the "turtle looking guy" on CNN he's refering to is Don Lemon. He's a pretty professional journalist in my opinion but being openly gay (not sure why HE had to come out while Anderson Cooper gets to stay in the closet) it's clear he supports Obama because of his pro-gay stance.

It's funny you mentioned the difference between being simply smart and being quick witted. I was actually having this converation the other day with an old friend from highschool. We were talking about people who did so well in school and seemed to be very smart but weren't doing the best financially. Simply being "smart" or holding a lot of information in your head doesn't always equal success. Even when I was a kid we used to "cap" on eachother (some called it playing the dozens), and I noticed that some of the smartest kids weren't very quick in coming up with jokes, couldn't keep their cool, and were constantly slammed by kids who were otherwise considered dumb or slow academically but were very quick in coming up with material to keep the crowd laughing. It's not enough to be intelligent, you have to know how to properly apply that intelligence in a practical manner. This is why in most successful firms, the HR manager doesn't just look at an applicant's academic records but also thier extracurricular activities and hobbies and look forward to that ultimate sit down interview. Years ago I went on one job interview where the guy invited me in and started talking to me and in the middle of the conversation he tossed a softball towards me and I caught it. He said he was testing my reflexes, lol. At the time he did it I didn't see the logic in testing my physical reflexes for a sales job, but weeks later I understood completely.

I agree that most of it comes from a lack of proper health care and laziness with regards to routine physical exams period. But that prostate exam itself is quite invasive! Most men don't care too much for a greasy finger stuck up their ass. If you're confused about your sexuality...... If you're not sure if you're gay or not..... A good prostate exam will help you "find" yourself....lol. But I especially agree that most of the health problems many Black men suffer from comes from ignorance, both medical and nutritional. It's a known fact that people of West African descent don't tolerate red meat and alcohol as well as people of European descent and the over indulgence in it leads to all type of health problems. Also, certain heavy metals and other toxins seem to favor some organs over others. Mercury favors the brain and nervous system. Some toxins favor the liver and kidneys. Others favor the lungs. Nickle and some other metals and toxins settle in the prostate and can cause problems. Over the years, if these toxins aren't routinely flushed out of the system then they build up and often express themselves as various diseases. Also.... Although I haven't heard this mentioned anywhere else yet, since the prostate is atleast partially responsible for making semen. Perhaps the sexual practices of many Black men in the West is having a detrimental effect on their prostates.

Troy I hear what you're saying, but that can be said about any type of science/technology. Some may have said the diabolical experiments carried out by the Nazis were grounds enough to halt ALL future experiments for scientific/meidcal research. Hell, somebody can make an argument that you shouldn't build cars because there's a history of angry women using them to run over baby daddies. We can't use a few negative examples as an excuse to retard progress. ((Pioneer stands up with one hand on his hip and the other pointing directly ahead with a stern look on his face and a puzzled look on his lady's face )) Science and humanity must continue to march forward! As I said before, examples of righteousness are.... -producing more food -curing diseases -protecting the environment It's not that hard or obscure to figure out the right way to use science and technology. If you're using it to help people it's good, if you're using it to hurt or kill people it's wrong. Cynique Don't ask me.....lol. No one CC's me memos on God's plans for humanity. If I were to speculate, I believe that this planet and this realm we're living in is just a lower level of many realities and we as human beings are placed here to learn and progress before moving on. Perhaps part of that is in appreciating and maintaining the beautiful world that was given to us. I believe you said you study Buddhism, and ofcourse it teaches one to be content and at peace with that which they can't change. But that mentality can often retard progress because one rarely knows what one can or can't change unless they try. BTW.... I noticed that you twice used the word "god" with the small "g"....not the big "G". ((Pioneer grins)) ....as if you're trying to play it safe, lol.

((shrugs shoulders)) Perhaps a proper argument and request for their collective support hasn't been presented to them. Most professional Black people in the upper income range.....unless they got there through some natural talent like singing or playing ball....tend to be very educated and only deal with other highly educated professionals. Like you said, most of them run in their own circles and hang out int he suburb. I also believe many are embarrassed by the ignorant and stereotypical behavior exhibited by so many of the Black underclass and don't know what to do about it so they try to hide from it as much as they can. Not having a college education I haven't had lot of opportunities to sit down and talk to members of the professional Black community. But being in that community I'm sure YOU have quite a few friends who wouldn't mind coming on this site and engaging in meaningful discussion with people like me and others who have ideas of how they can help themselves through helping others. While no doubt Whites have experienced devastating lost, some say this depression recession and real estate collapse has all but erased MOST of the wealth AfroAmericans have accumulated the past 30 years! Any negro intelligent enough to earn a degree and achieve success should be intelligent enough to know the importance of protecting the success they achieved. Surely the wealthiest and most educated AfroAmericans can't feel too secure living in a bubble to themselves while they see the bottom dropping out from so many other upper income Black households.

I thought that was Dwayne from "What's Happening" at first. "Hey heeey hey!" Or more like Michael Jackson when he was 18. But it's always good to see an intelligent young brother or sister on such a popular program because it helps to offset much of the negativity that the world often sees. I also like watching Jeopardy, although I don't watch it as much as I used to. I used to watch it everyday at an old job and would say the answers (questions) outloud trying to show off. One day in the lunch room a White guy in Ohio actually told me to my face, "I didn't know colored guys liked watching Jeopardy!" This was in the 90's!